The official results of Saturday’s presidential election in Ghana confirmed the victory of the opposition candidate, former President John Mahama.
With results from all 16 regions of the country, Mahama won with 56.6% against 41.6% for Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia.
It is the biggest margin of victory in 24 years.
Voter turnout was 60.9%, said the head of the Electoral Commission in Ghana, Jean Mensa.
Reacting to the news of his appointment as president, Mahama was seen smiling and clapping surrounded by his family in pictures shown on national television.
The vice president had already conceded defeat a day after the vote and congratulated Mahama on his victory, but it was disappointing that it took so long for the official result to be announced.
President Nana Akufo-Addo is stepping down after reaching the legal limit of serving two terms.
This election comes amid the worst economic climate in a generation.
Unemployment, the cost of living and concerns about the environmental impact of illegal gold mining, known as “galmasey”, are among the key factors.
With many Ghanaians yearning for change, Mahama won several constituencies – including Bono, Ahafo, Western, and Central – that the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) had won in 2020.
However, the results of the Ashanti region, which is considered the heartland of the NPP, are yet to be announced.
Ever since Bawumia was released on Sunday, Mahama’s supporters have been celebrating across the country.
People have been cheering, waving flags, blowing horns and motorcycles.
“I am very happy with this victory,” Salifu Abdul-Fatawu told the BBC in downtown Kumasi.
He said he hopes that it will mean that he and his siblings will find jobs, food and fuel will be cheaper.
The vice president said he accepted the defeat before the official announcement of the results “to avoid tension and maintain the peace of our country”.
Although the election was peaceful, two people were shot dead on Saturday in separate incidents.
The office of the electoral commission in the northern town of Damongo was also vandalized, allegedly by NDC supporters angry at the delay in the declaration of results.
Mahama, 65, led Ghana from 2012 until 2017, when he was ousted by Akufo-Addo. Mahama lost again in the 2020 election so this victory represents a remarkable comeback.
Mahama’s National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the NPP have alternated in power since the return of multi-party politics to Ghana in 1992.
No team has ever won more than two in a row – a trend that looks set to continue.
Before Mahama was in power, the economy was damaged, there were power cuts and corruption scandals.
However, Ghanaians are hoping it will be different this time.
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 report by Komla Adom in Kumasi
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