Not surprisingly, the main race between incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo's NPP and former president John Mahama's NDC party are both claiming wins as early results start trickling in.
To date, both parties have lost parliamentary seats on each side.
Five hours after voting, Mahama tweeted a thank you message to Ghanaians for change.
Thank you for coming out to vote in today’s election. Very good results from all parts of the country.
We must continue to remain vigilant as we enter the results collation stage. Let’s stay focused and ROAR to the end. pic.twitter.com/uv2KDs3lGJ
— John Dramani Mahama (@JDMahama) December 7, 2020
He has been telling confidants that he expects a resounding win once official results are announced.
Last night, the NDC is its previsionary vote had claimed 36 flipped parliamentary seats, including some wins in the capital. The implication being result that these are highly populated areas and if those results are confirmed, it would undoubtedly help the presidential totals.
READ MORE => OUR UPDATE ON GHANA’S ELECTION HERE; AKUFO-ADDO DRAWS AHEAD
NDC early victories included the scalp of the NPP deputy minister of Transport, Nii Kwartei Titus Glover, who lost his Tema-East seat to Nii Ashai Odamtten.
The NDC would need to win at least 32 more seats and hold its the 106 that it currently controls to win a majority in parliament.
John Mahama now claims that he NDC is projected to win those seats, and thanks Ghanaians for “giving the NDC a working majority in the next Parliament”; a claim that has not be verified by the Electoral Commission.
Thank you for voting for change and giving the NDC a working majority in the next Parliament. Thank you Ghana.
— John Dramani Mahama (@JDMahama) December 8, 2020
The NPP claims to now control 3 out 5 regions in the north, including the savannah region where the Mahama comes from.
Although some parliamentary seats have flipped, according to John Boadu, the NPP Secretary General, despite having lost some seats, the NPP has won, holding a 63 seat majority over the NDC.
Akufo-Addo posted several messages throughout voting day, urging Ghanaians to get out and vote.
Voting is ongoing. Call ☎️ your friends and family members to #VoteNumber1 #4MoreForNana. pic.twitter.com/80iSdUoglt
— Nana Akufo-Addo (@NAkufoAddo) December 7, 2020
Despite promises of a speedy counting of votes, the Electoral Commission has announced that its timeline has been delayed until further notice.
Press Release:The Electoral Commission informs the Public that to ensure the collation of results at the Constituency and Regional Collation Centres across the country is accurate, the EC will extend its intended timeline for declaring the 2020 Presidential election results. pic.twitter.com/8nzbf3JLWH
— Electoral Commission Of Ghana (@ECGhanaOfficial) December 8, 2020
Results were expected to be released officially later today by the Electoral Commission, making it one of the fastest turnovers elections in Africa and the world.
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