Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo wins re-election with 51.59% of vote

ACCRA (Reuters) -Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo has won re-election with 51.59% of the vote, beating his predecessor and old rival John Mahama, results from the election commission showed on Wednesday. 

The results follow a contentious poll that both candidates had said they were leading based on their camps’ tallies. Five people were killed in election violence since Monday, the police said, marring what observers said was a well-organised vote. 

Akufo Addo has promised to implement a $17 billion programme to boost Ghana’s economy after the coronavirus pandemic hit the price of key oil and cocoa exports, resulting in the first quarterly contraction in nearly 40 years.

He will be under pressure to rein in government spending that has pushed the debt-to-GDP ratio past 70% and prompted warnings from the International Monetary Fund.

(Writing by Hereward Holland and Alessandra PrenticeEditing by Edward McAllister)