2024 Elections – a year to the finish line: Breaking the 8 a possibility

Yesterday was exactly a year away for Ghanaians to head to the polls to elect a President and Members of Parliament (MPs).

This election will be a new ball game rather than a replay of 2023. This is because the fundamentals are quite different.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will end his two terms, and a new President will be elected. The stage is therefore set for one of the fiercest presidential elections in the history of the country.

Stakes high

It will be a crucial election with stakes so high for the two leading political parties—the New Patriotic Party ( NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Without doubt, the presidential election will be a direct contest between Dr Mahamudu Bawumia of the NPP and John Dramani Mahama of the NDC.

The coming months therefore hold a lot for the two parties as they push to get the electorate to buy into their messages .

Breaking the 8

While the NPP is bent on making history by breaking the eight year election cycle between the two leading parties, the NDC is also determined to stage a come back to power.

With the slogan , “ Breaking the 8”, the NPP are waging a campaign that seeks to convince Ghanaians on why the party should be retained in power to continue its good works.

The election of Dr Bawumia as the NPP flag bearer for the elections has shaken the very foundations of the NDC.

With a new dynamism introduced into the political space, the Vice President is working to penetrate the strongholds of the NDC, while maintaining a stranglehold on its traditional strongholds.

Dr Bawumia said after he won the NPP flag bearer contest, “ I am determined to work with all of them and all our supporters to achieve the Party’s ambition of Breaking the 8.”

‘I must win’

John Mahama on the other hand is also working hard to stage a come back, in spite of the task ahead of him.

In his victory speech after being elected NDC flag bearer for the 2024 election, he said, “ I must win the elections to enable us build the Ghana we want together. I pledge to lead you to a resounding victory in December 2024.”

Records

The two leading candidates come to the election with performance records.

But, 2024 will be different from the last polls because unlike 2020 when the major contestants — Nana Akufo-Addo and John Mahama— had both tasted the presidency, this time one of them, Dr Bawumia , is entering the race having only been a Vice President.

Nevertheless, considering the fact that Mahama had also become Vice President before before he became President, it will be interesting how voters will be able to decide whose record is better.

The Akufo-Addo government has achieved some amount of positives, with Dr Bawumia leading some of the notable policies, including digitalization.