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The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) predicted the victory of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the presidential elections of 2024.
“The next legislative and presidential elections are scheduled for 2024. Under the term limits prescribed by the Constitution, Mr. Akufo-Addo cannot run for a third term. Mr Mahama is reportedly considering running again, but we expect the NDC to look to revitalize its outlook with a new candidate. After two NPP terms of government, we expect the NDC to win the 2024 presidential election and secure a small majority in parliament, ”the EIU said in a recent report.
The prediction comes weeks after the court rejected an election petition filed by former President John Dramani Mahama, following his defeat in the general election.
Three months after an intense trial, the Supreme Court on Thursday March 4, 2021 ruled that the 2020 election petition filed by John Dramani Mahama was unfounded.
The judges of the Court explained that the petition was incompetent, lacked in merit and did not raise any reasonable cause of action because the petitioner had not proved his case through his petition or through his witnesses.
John Mahama, who represented the Democratic National Congress (NDC) in the polls, went to court insisting that none of the nine presidential candidates got the mandatory constitutional threshold of 50% + 1 vote to be declared winner of the ballot.
The EIU further said that the Akufo-Addo administration, with a current majority in parliament, will demand that all its MPs vote in the House in order to pass government policies.
“In the 2020 parliamentary elections, the NPP and NDC each won 137 seats, but in January the only independent MP (MP) announced that he would cooperate with the NPP, giving it the 138 seats needed by an effective majority . . With a slim majority, the Akufo-Addo administration will demand that all its MPs vote with the party in order to pass signature policies, which will likely require reaching deals to persuade MPs, which risks hampering immediate political priorities. , such as reducing a large budget surplus through spending cuts and tax increases. ”
“Having a majority in parliament gives the NPP an advantage in pursuing its legislative agenda. The difficulty of achieving party unity has already been demonstrated, since the NDC opposition was able to elect its choice for the presidency of the parliament, with 138 votes, against 136 votes for the NPP candidate. Distribution of votes kept secret, but at least one NPP politician did not vote
for the nomination of the party. With the role of president assured, the NDC could block ministerial appointments and possibly deny parliamentary assent for major policies, leading the Afuko-Addo administration to concessions and compromises with the NDC.
Regarding Ghana’s outstanding debt, the EIU noted that “the country is currently estimated to be in default, following an increase in principal arrears owed to external public creditors in 2018”.
“The current account deficit, estimated at 2.8% of GDP on average over the past 48 months, is a drag on the score. Arrears will remain large, increasing the perceived risk of a protracted default among investors. Regarding the structure of national accounts, the service sector is the largest sector of the economy, accounting for around 45% of GDP, ”he added.
—Citinewsroom
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