Over 18.7 million Ghanaians are expected to vote today to determine the next president and parliamentarians to manage the affairs of the country for the next four years.
Out of a total of 18, 772,795 valid voters, 9,690,173 are females, while 9,082,622 are males.
The data also revealed that 708,282 new voters have been added to the electoral roll for the December elections.
Additionally, there are 332,110 transferred voters, 2,167 proxy voters, 32,974 applicants on the exceptions list, and 26,798 applicants on the multiples list.
The polls will be held across more than 40,000 polling stations, from 0700 to 1700 hours.
As has been the case, the election is a contest between the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), as the two have shared the presidential seat for the last 32 years.
Other contestants in the race include Daniel Augustus Lartey Jnr. (Great Consolidated Popular Party), George Twum-Barima-Adu (Independent), Hassan Abdulai Ayariga (All People’s Congress), Kofi Akpaloo (Liberal Party of Ghana), Mohammed Frimpong (National Democratic Party), Nana Akosua Frimpomaa (Convention People’s Party), and Kofi Koranteng (Independent).
A candidate needs at least 50 per cent plus one of the total valid votes cast to win the presidential race.
However, a simple majority is needed to determine the winner in the parliamentary contest.
How the Rule Operates
The 50%+1 rule comes into play when the votes cast in a presidential election are tallied. If no candidate secures more than half of the total valid votes, a runoff election is triggered.
The runoff, held within 21 days of the initial election, involves only the top two candidates from the first round.
This ensures that the ultimate winner has a clear mandate from the majority of voters.