John Dramani Mahama, a former president of Ghana who was voted out of office eight years ago, staged a dramatic political comeback on Sunday after his main opponent conceded defeat in the West African country’s presidential election.
While official results from the vote that took place on Saturday have yet to be released, the candidate of the governing party, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, said he had called Mr. Mahama to congratulate him on his victory.
“Let me say that the data from our own internal collation of the election results indicate that former President John Dramani Mahama has won the presidential election decisively,” Mr. Bawumia said in a statement.
Ghana, the largest gold producer in Africa and a key U.S. ally in a region beset by coups and jihadist insurgencies, has been struggling with one of its worst economic crises in decades. The defeat of Mr. Bawumia, who as part of the current administration has struggled to resolve the cost-of-living crisis, indicated that Ghanaians wanted profound change.
Mr. Bawumia said that Mr. Mahama’s party had also won the parliamentary election, which was also held on Saturday.
“Even though we await final collation of a number of seats,” Mr. Bawumia said, “I believe ultimately these will not change the outcome.”
Economic issues were also the deciding factor in the election in 2016 that Mr. Mahama lost to Nana Akufo-Addo after ascending from the vice presidency in 2012 following the death of his predecessor. Mr. Akufo-Addo, a lawyer and former foreign minister, rode a wave of popular discontent at a time when the economy was battered by falling oil and commodity prices.
Analysts say there is little ideological difference between the two parties or the candidates. Both are from the historically marginalized and predominantly Muslim north, a first in Christian-majority Ghana. Mr. Mahama is Christian, and Mr. Bawumia is Muslim.
Despite some scuffles on Saturday, a largely peaceful election and Mr. Bawumia’s prompt concession signaled that a swift democratic transition was likely to take place in Ghana. Mr. Akuffo-Addo is set to step down on Jan. 7.
“I am making this concession speech before the official announcement by the Electoral Commission to avoid further tension and preserve the peace of our country,” Mr. Bawumia said on Sunday.
The election in Ghana comes months after another West African country, Senegal, also staged a peaceful presidential contest, in the region that in recent years has otherwise been stained by coups, delayed elections and aging presidents clinging to power despite constitutional limits.
During his campaign, Mr. Mahama vowed to “reset” the country and sought to appeal to young Ghanaians as the candidate who could get the country out of the economic crisis it has been engulfed in for years.
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