Interesting days ahead for Ghana after Atta Mills death 0
The next few weeks promise to be interesting for Ghana as the country tries to come to terms with the sudden death of President John Atta Mills on July 24. Known for its strong democracy, the west African country will be keenly watched over how it handles its transitions.
Within hours of Mr Mills death, his deputy John Dramani Mahama was sworn in in line with Article 60 (6) of the country’s constitution, drawing praise from observers.
“I am pleased with the way things have gone. We did not have any of Africa’s problem with the death of a President,” said Mr Kojo Pumpuni Asante, an analyst with the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD).
Mr Asante said that Ghanaians would now be watching how the process is completed, especially with the appointment of a new Vice-President. “We have come to a point where it is clear that the state is seen as sacred and the people would want know how the whole process is conducted,” he said.
The key battleground looks to be within the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), on whose ticket Mr Mills was in December due to stand for re-election to a second term.
The NDC will have under five months to find a new presidential candidate to run against its main opponent, the New Patriotic Party, which is fronting Nana Akufo-Addo, who Mr Mills narrowly beat in 2008.
“…it is how this is conducted that should be of concern to every Ghanaian,” Mr Asante said.
Initial concerns would be how former President Jerry Rawlings, a key political figure in both the NDC and the country, reacts to the death and in addition, his relationship with the new President, thought to be cold.
Mr Rawlings did not have a good relationship with former President John Kufuor, who Mr Mills succeeded, and extended the same treatment to President Mills who he ha hand-picked as his Vice-President and was later instrumental in his election in the party of which he is the founder.
Some members of the NDC are worried about Mr Rawlings as he is known to have some dislike for President Mahama. “We are not sure what it is and we would be watching how he would react to his administration in the next few months,” said a party member who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Speculation
There are also some party members who think that Mr Rawlings wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, is likely to become the party’s presidential candidate as she was the only one who stood against the President Mills at the NDC party primary last year.
This has however been dismissed by the NDC’s deputy general secretary, Mr George Lawson. “There is no truth in that,” he told the Africa Review. “The party’s constitution is clear that we have to go to Congress to elect a new candidate to lead us.”
Thus, instead of the party concentrating on its campaigns, it is now faced with lobbying and campaigning to elect a leader. If it is not properly managed, the process could implode as there already various opposing groups within the party.
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