SINCE the beginning of this year, there have been numerous calls for free, fair, transparent and peaceful elections in the country as the term of the Akufo-Addo administration is going to end on January 6, 2025.
On Saturday, December 7, 2024, the general election for the change-over took place.
As expected, both the presidential and parliamentary elections have passed by successfully, in spite of pockets of electoral incidents.
Provisional results indicate that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has achieved a victory with no less than two-thirds of the 276 parliamentary seats.
With that number of seats won, it's obvious the party's presidential candidate, former president John Dramani Mahama, is the President-elect.
Since The Ghanaian Times had been joining the calls, it is happy to see a successful general election that has attracted global attention and reiterated the Ghanaian people's resolve to grow democracy in the country.
That resolve underpins the honour accorded the country as a peaceful nation in a politically-turbulent region.
The Ghanaian Times wishes to congratulate the whole country, and commend the frontline stakeholders, particularly the Electoral Commission (EC), the political parties and independent candidates that took part in the elections, security personnel, and the media, as well as the electorate for the successful elections.
With the elections having been history, what is left now is what happens to cement the fact that the country has really had successful elections.
The Ghanaian Times is, therefore, particularly happy that Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has conceded defeat in the presidential election and gone ahead to congratulate former President Mahama on his comeback.
That act by Dr Bawumia demonstrates how politically-matured he is and his concern for the need to bring down tension and anxiety among the very people he went into the election to seek power to rule.
That act also means that Dr Bawumia has no qualms about the elections and as such is indirectly telling his party and others like journalists to avoid any discussions that may seek to suggest anything untoward about his loss.
The election results certainly affirm the EC's promise to do what was expected of it by way of delivering a credible general election.
Both the victories and losses have lessons for the growth of the country's democracy and for the future plans of the stakeholders for the benefit of the whole country.
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At the time of going to press, the EC had called for patience as it was putting things together to officially declare the results.
By convention, the declaration of election results in the country has generally been done within 72 hours from the close of voting.
This means the period elapses at 5 p.m. tomorrow if it has not been declared already.
Everyone must be ready to respect this practice and only have the cause to raise questions upon the expiration of the period.
The Ghanaian Times once again applauds the whole country for successful elections that consolidate its peace and expects nothing that would be a blot on that peace.
