By midnight on December 7, 2024, CODEO had received vote count data from all 1,500 PVT observers across the 276 constituencies in Ghana's 16 regions. According to the PVT estimate of the total votes cast, John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) received 56.9% of the votes, while Mahamudu Bawumia of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) received 41.3%. Independent candidate Nana Kwame Bediako obtained 0.8%, and fellow independent candidate Alan John Kwadwo Kyeremateng garnered 0.3%.

Additionally, Nana Akosua Frimpomaa Kumankuma of the Convention People's Party (CPP) received 0.2%, Hassan Ayariga of the All People's Congress (APC) obtained 0.1%, and Daniel Augustus Lartey of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) also received 0.1%. Christian Kwabena Andrews of the Ghana Union Movement (GUM) achieved 0.2%, while Kofi Akpaloo of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) and Mohammed Frimpong of the National Democratic Party (NDP) each received 0.0%. Independent candidates Kofi Koranteng and George Twum-Barima-Adu also recorded 0.0% of the votes.

The PVT ranking of the presidential candidates is based on their share of valid votes, which is similar to the figures released by the Electoral Commission (EC). Also, the estimates from the PVT align closely with the EC's official results.

The estimated voter turnout rate for all 276 constituencies is 63.9%, with a margin of error of ±0.5%. In contrast, the official turnout rate announced by the EC for 267 constituencies (excluding 9 constituencies where the collation process was incomplete) is 60.9%, which falls outside the PVT's margin of error. CODEO, however, estimated the turnout for these 267 constituencies to be 64.1%, with a margin of error of ±0.6%.

Furthermore, the PVT estimated that 2.1% of ballots were rejected, with a margin of error of ±0.1%, which is consistent with the EC's figure of 2.09%.

The PVT Methodology

Since the 2008 general elections, CODEO has employed the Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) methodology to observe presidential elections. This methodology serves as a powerful tool for verifying that the presidential election results announced by Ghana's Electoral Commission (EC) accurately reflect the votes cast at polling stations. It effectively combines well-established statistical principles with Information Communication Technology (ICT) to monitor elections in real-time.

On election day, trained and accredited stationary observers are deployed to a nationally representative sample of polling stations. They observe the election processes and quickly report on the conduct of the polls and the official vote count to a central observation point via text messaging. This approach enables CODEO to project the presidential election results with a small margin of error and to assess the quality of the election day processes, thereby verifying the official results announced by the EC.

Further Findings

The CODEO report indicates that the two main political parties, the NDC and NPP, had agents present at 99% of polling stations. Both parties signed the official declaration of polls, known as the Pink Sheets. The voting and counting processes followed the relevant electoral laws and the Constitution, and there were no significant incidents during the voting process.

CODEO observed that the election-day process was largely peaceful. However, their Collation Centre observers and media reports highlighted several incidents of violence, intimidation, and harassment that occurred after the polls closed. Notably, there was an incident involving the burning of the Electoral Commission's constituency collation centre in Damongo, located in the Savannah Region, as well as the destruction of electoral materials, including pink results sheets. Some of these incidents disrupted the collation process for both presidential and parliamentary results. CODEO condemns all acts of violence and the disruption of the collation process and urges all political parties to take a strong stand against such violence while prioritizing peaceful engagement. Furthermore, CODEO calls on the police to enforce the law effectively.

CODEO encourages the Electoral Commission, political parties, and all stakeholders involved in elections and democratic governance to consider the lessons learned from the 2024 polls and how these lessons can enhance the quality of future electoral processes. CODEO recommends ongoing improvements in voter education and election administration logistics, as well as the implementation of proactive measures to prevent violence throughout all stages of the electoral process.

CODEO is an independent and non-partisan network of civil society organizations that monitors elections in Ghana. Founded in 2020 under the auspices of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), CODEO aims to engage Ghanaian citizens in the electoral process and to support the efforts of the Electoral Commission of Ghana in ensuring elections that are transparent, free, fair, and peaceful. CODEO is a member of the Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM) and a founding member of the West Africa Election Observers Network (WAEON).