14 parties, three independent candidates file to contest 2020 presidential election

Fourteen political parties and three independents file nomination papers with the Electoral Commission to compete in the 2020 election

Wilberforce Asare October 9, 2020

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President Akufo-Addo Presenting his nomination files to the EC Chairperson Jean Mensa on the 6th of October 2020

Fourteen out of the 30 recognised political parties in Ghana, together with three independent candidates, have filed their nominations at the Electoral Commission (EC) to run for the presidency in the 7 December 2020 general election.

According to an official release by the EC, issued at the close of the five-day filing of nominations exercise at 5pm on (Friday 9 October 2020), one independent candidate and two political parties filed on day two of the exercise.

They were Alfred Kwame Asiedu Walker (independent), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo (the sitting president and candidate for the governing New Patriotic Party) and Christian Kwabena Andrews, aka Osofo Kyiri Abosom (Ghana Union Movement).

In essence, no candidate filed on the first day of the exercise (5 October 2020).

On the third day

Day three of the exercise (Wednesday 7 October 2020) saw Brigitte Akosua Dzogbenuku of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) and John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) filing their nomination papers.

Day four

Seven candidates also filed their nominations on day four of the exercise (8 October 2020).

They were Akua Donkor of the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP), Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings of the National Democratic Party (NDP), Kofi Koranteng (independent), Hassan Ayariga of the All People’s Congress (APC), Ivor Kobina Greenstreet of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Henry Herbert Lartey of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) and Marricke Kofi Gane (independent).

Last day of filing

Five other parties filed their nominations on the final day of the exercise (Friday 9 October).

They were Akwasi Addai (“Odike”) of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Kwasi Busumbru of the People’s Action Party (PAP), Nana Agyenim Boateng of the United Front Party (UFP), Percival Kofi Akpaloo of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) and David Asibi Apasera of the People’s National Convention (PNC).

EC vetting committee

With the filing of nominations complete, all the parties and the independent candidates will now await the results of vetting by the two committees under the Electoral Commission (the IT and technical committees) to find out whether or not they will make it on the ballot paper for Election 2020.

The EC says the committees will scrutinise the documents of all the candidates to ensure that their applications meet all the requirements set out in law regarding filing nominations to contest presidential elections in Ghana.