Victorious John Mahama promises a new beginning

Ghanaian opposition candidate and former president John Mahama has promised “a new beginning, a new direction” for the country after being officially declared the winner of Saturday’s presidential election.

Mahama won with 56.6% to Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia’s 41.6%. It is the largest margin of victory in the country in 24 years.

Voter turnout was 60.9%, said the head of Ghana’s electoral commission, Jean Mensa.

Mahama said he felt “humiliated” that he and his National Democratic Congress (NDC) had “achieved one of the best results in Ghana’s electoral history”.

He also noted that Ghana had “made history” by electing its first female vice president, Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang.

And he thanked Bawumia for giving in, something he did long before the official announcement of the results.

The vice president stated that he did so “to avoid further tensions and preserve the peace of our country.”

However, there was still some frustration that it had taken so long to announce the official results.

President Nana Akufo-Addo will resign after reaching the official two-term limit.

This election comes in the midst of the worst economic crisis in a generation.

Key issues include unemployment, the cost of living and concerns about the environmental impact of illegal gold mining, known as “galmasey”.

With many Ghanaians desperate for change, Mahama won several regions – including Bono, Ahafo, Western and Central – that the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) had won in 2020.

Since Bawumia’s concession on Sunday, Mahama’s supporters have been celebrating across the country.

People have been clapping, waving flags, honking horns and spinning motorcycles.

“I am very excited about this victory,” Salifu Abdul-Fatawu told the BBC in the central city of Kumasi.

He said he hoped that would mean he and his brother would get jobs, while the price of food and fuel would go down.

Although the elections generally passed peacefully, two people were shot dead in separate incidents on Saturday.

The electoral commission office in the northern town of Damongo was also destroyed, reportedly by NDC supporters angry at delays in announcing the results.

Mahama, 65, previously led Ghana from 2012 to 2017, when he was replaced by Akufo-Addo. Mahama also lost the 2020 election, so this victory represents a surprising comeback.

Mahama’s NDC and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) have alternated in power since the return of multi-party politics to Ghana in 1992.

No party has ever won more than two consecutive terms in power, a trend that looks set to continue.

Mahama’s previous tenure was marred by a failing economy, frequent power outages and corruption scandals.

However, Ghanaians hope this time will be different.

During the campaign, Mahama promised to transform Ghana into a “24-hour economy.”

The new president will be sworn in on January 7, 2025.

Additional reporting by BBC’s Komla Adom in Kumasi.