The Director of Research at the Presidency, Dr Isaac Owusu-Mensah, has stated that the 2024 elections will have a different pattern from all previous polls that have been conducted in the country.
He says there would be new dynamics, considering research findings and recent discussions over which political party has better chances to win the next contest.
In an interview on JoyNews’ Upfront, he noted that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) may struggle to attain victory, if the New Patriotic Party (NPP) institutes proactive strategies and work in unity ahead of the polls.
“This 2024 election is going to come with its own new dynamics. One; this is the first time a President [John Mahama] is contesting for the second time; the 2020 elections he contested for the first time, now the President is contesting for the second time against a fresh candidate from the incumbent government,” he said.
A prediction by the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) has revealed the NDC has a higher chance of leading the county in the 2024 presidential elections.
The EIU, in its five-year forecast for Ghana, stated that although Mr Mahama is reportedly considering running again, “we expect the opposition NDC to try to revitalise its prospects with a fresh candidate.
Although he admits the EIU is credible, especially as it has gotten some of its previous predictions right, Dr Owusu-Mensah disagreed with portions of the report.
“It [EIU report] was not conclusive. I’ve read it several times and everything is conditional. One of the things that even contradicts their own statement is that ‘whoever wins the elections’ in 2024 will continue.
“It means that if they are very sure the NDC win, they’d say that the new government would have continued. The entire report, that is the political section, is all conditional,” he said.
In a related development, a Deputy Finance Minister John Kumah, says the electorates will give the New Patriotic Party (NPP) another four-year mandate in the 2024 elections.
He explained that the eight-year cycle in which power alternates between the two leading political parties will not be automated in the next elections, considering all the current government’s practical interventions to improve living standards.
According to him, if Ghanaians want to compare the performances of the NPP to that of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the determination of victory will be far easier for the former.
“If you compare our track record on the economy, I don’t doubt that Ghanaians would give another term to the NPP government,” he told Samson Anyenini on Newsfile Saturday.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
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