National Democratic Congress (Ghana)
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The National Democratic Congress (NDC) is a
social democratic Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote soci ...
political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
in
Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
, founded by
Jerry Rawlings Jerry John Rawlings (22 June 194712 November 2020) was a Ghanaian military officer and politician who led the country for a brief period in 1979, and then from 1981 to 2001. He led a military junta until 1992, and then served two terms as the de ...
, who was Head of State of Ghana from 1981 to 1993 and the
President of Ghana The president of the Republic of Ghana is the elected head of state and head of government of Ghana, as well as commander-in-chief of the Ghana Armed Forces. The current president of Ghana is Nana Akufo-Addo, who won the 2020 presidential elec ...
from 1993 to 2001. Following the formation of the
Provisional National Defence Council The Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) was the name of the Ghanaian government after the People's National Party's elected government was overthrown by Jerry Rawlings, the former head of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, in a coup ...
(PNDC), which ruled
Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
following the military
coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
on 31 December 1981, there was pressure from the international community to restore democracy. The NDC was formed as the ruling party ahead of elections in 1992, in which Rawlings was elected president, and in 1996 Rawlings was re-elected as the NDC candidate. Rawlings' second term ended in 2001. The NDC lost the presidency in the 2000 election, and it was not until the 2008 election, that they regained it with
John Atta Mills John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills (21 July 1944 – 24 July 2012) was a Ghanaian politician and legal scholar who served as President of Ghana from 2009 until his death in 2012. He was inaugurated on 7 January 2009, having defeated the governing party ...
as its candidate. They established the 1992 constitution of Ghana The NDC party symbol is an umbrella with the head of a
dove Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...
at the tip. The party colors are red, white, green, and black, and the party slogan or motto is "Unity, stability, and development." Internationally, the NDC is a member of the
Progressive Alliance The Progressive Alliance (PA) is a political international of social democratic and progressive political parties and organisations founded on 22 May 2013 in Leipzig, Germany. The alliance was formed as an alternative to the existing Social ...
and
Socialist International The Socialist International (SI) is a political international or worldwide organisation of political parties which seek to establish democratic socialism. It consists mostly of socialist and labour-oriented political parties and organisations. ...
. On 9 December 2012, the Electoral Commission of Ghana declared NDC candidate
John Dramani Mahama John Dramani Mahama (; born 29 November 1958) is a Ghanaian politician who served as President of Ghana from 24 July 2012 to 7 January 2017. He previously served as Vice President of Ghana from January 2009 to July 2012, and took office as pres ...
to be president-elect after a hotly contested race in which he won 50.7% of votes cast.


History

The National Democratic Congress was founded by
Jerry Rawlings Jerry John Rawlings (22 June 194712 November 2020) was a Ghanaian military officer and politician who led the country for a brief period in 1979, and then from 1981 to 2001. He led a military junta until 1992, and then served two terms as the de ...
, who had been the military leader of Ghana since 1981. In 1992, the National Democratic Congress led the successful transition to multi-party competition, an example of authoritarian-led
democratization Democratization, or democratisation, is the transition to a more democratic political regime, including substantive political changes moving in a democratic direction. It may be a hybrid regime in transition from an authoritarian regime to a ful ...
. The NDC won the 1992 and 1996 elections.


2000 elections

The 2000 election was the first presidential election since 1992 that an incumbent president was not on the ballot. Jerry Rawlings' eight-year tenure had expired as per the Constitution of Ghana.
John Atta Mills John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills (21 July 1944 – 24 July 2012) was a Ghanaian politician and legal scholar who served as President of Ghana from 2009 until his death in 2012. He was inaugurated on 7 January 2009, having defeated the governing party ...
became the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress at a special delegate congress held in Ho in the
Volta Region Volta Region (or Volta) is one of Ghana's sixteen administrative regions, with Ho designated as its capital. It is located west of Republic of Togo and to the east of Lake Volta. Divided into 25 administrative districts, the region is multi-et ...
of Ghana. He was popularly acclaimed the presidential candidate of the party for the 2000 presidential election. Vice-president
John Atta Mills John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills (21 July 1944 – 24 July 2012) was a Ghanaian politician and legal scholar who served as President of Ghana from 2009 until his death in 2012. He was inaugurated on 7 January 2009, having defeated the governing party ...
lost in 2000 to New Patriotic Party's
John Kufour John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor (born 8 December 1938) is a Ghanaian politician who served as the President of Ghana from 7 January 2001 to 7 January 2009. He was also Chairperson of the African Union from 2007 to 2008. Kufuor's career has been spe ...
after two rounds of voting.


2004 elections

In the 2004 elections the party's manifesto called for "A Better Ghana". John Atta Mills ran again for the NDC in the 2004 presidential elections with his running mate Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni. He won 44.6% of the vote, but lost to the
New Patriotic Party , logo = , colorcode = #132f7a , founder = , founded = 28 July 1992 , dissolved = , leader = Nana Akufo-Addo , chairman = Stephen Ayensu Ntim Stephen Ntim elected NPP National Chairman on fifth attempt http://www.gna.org.gh/1.2152672 ...
. In the
general elections A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
held on 7 December 2004, the party won only 94 of the 230 seats.


2008 elections

On 21 December 2006, Mills was overwhelmingly elected by the NDC as its candidate for the 2008 presidential election with a majority of 81.4%, or 1,362 votes. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah was second with 8.7% (146 votes), Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu was third with 8.2% (137 votes), and Eddie Annan was fourth with 1.7% (28 votes). In April 2008, John Mahama was chosen as the party's vice-presidential candidate. On 3 January 2009, Mills was certified as the victor of the 28 December 2008 run-off election and became the next president of Ghana.


2012 transfer of power and elections

President John Atta Mills died, after a short illness, in the afternoon of 24 July 2012 while still in office. Vice President
John Dramani Mahama John Dramani Mahama (; born 29 November 1958) is a Ghanaian politician who served as President of Ghana from 24 July 2012 to 7 January 2017. He previously served as Vice President of Ghana from January 2009 to July 2012, and took office as pres ...
of the NDC was sworn in as president that evening. The NDC picked John Dramani Mahama for their presidential candidate and sitting vice president Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur as their vice-presidential candidate for the 2012 elections.


2016 primaries

In November 2015 after securing an overwhelming 1,199 118 out of a total of 1, 286, 728 votes representing 95.10% party members in the presidential primaries, President
John Dramani Mahama John Dramani Mahama (; born 29 November 1958) is a Ghanaian politician who served as President of Ghana from 24 July 2012 to 7 January 2017. He previously served as Vice President of Ghana from January 2009 to July 2012, and took office as pres ...
was endorsed to lead the NDC in the 2016 general elections.


2020 elections

Ahead of the 2020 elections, In February 2019, John Dramani Mahama was confirmed as the candidate of the opposition National Democratic Congress to contest in the 2020 elections, the incumbent president
Nana Akufo-Addo Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo ( ; born 29 March 1944) is a Ghanaian politician who has served as the president of Ghana since 7 January 2017. In 2020, he was re-elected for his second term, which will end on 6 January 2025. Akufo-Addo previously ...
who unseated Mahama in a 2016 election, capitalizing on an economy that was slowing due to falling prices for gold, oil and cocoa exports. He won the National Democratic Congress primaries by securing an overwhelming 213,487 votes representing 95.23 percent of the total valid votes cast with the other six contenders managing with about 4 percent of the votes. On 25 June 2020 the NDC led by its General Secretary Asiedu Nketiah, lost a case in the
Supreme Court of Ghana The Supreme Court of Ghana is the highest judicial body in Ghana. Ghana's 1992 constitution guarantees the independence and separation of the Judiciary from the Legislative and the Executive arms of government.1992 Constitution Article 125( ...
in which the party had sought to achieve the inclusion of old Voter ID cards in the
Electoral Commission An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...
's compilation of a New Voter's Register, among other reliefs. In the 2020 elections, 18 members of the party who sought to run as independent candidates lost their membership. All who endorsed the forms of the candidates and participated in their campaigns were also expelled.


Electoral history


Presidential elections


Parliamentary elections


Governments formed

Since the NDC was formed, it has formed two governments following elections, and a third following the death of President Mills. The list of governments is as follows: *
Rawlings government This is a listing of the ministers who served in Jerry Rawlings's National Democratic Congress government during the Fourth Republic of Ghana. This started on January 7, 1993, after 11 years of military rule by Rawlings. He retired from the Ghana ...
(1993–2001) * Mills government (2009–2012) * Mahama government (2012–2017)


National Executives

The National Democratic Congress holds elections every four years to elect its national executives.


2018 to present

The National Democratic Congress held its national delegates conference on 17–19 November at the Ghana International Trade Fair Centre, La, Accra. Below is the full list; National Chairman –
Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo (born March 10, 1962) is a Ghanaian politician and a former Member of Parliament and former District Chief Executive for the Fanteakwa North district of the Eastern Region of Ghana. He is also a former Eastern Regional Mi ...
, First Vice Chairman – Chief Sofo Azorka., Second Vice Chairperson Sherry Ayitey, Third Vice Chairman – Alhaji Said Sinare, General Secretary – Johnson Asiedu-Nketia, First Deputy General Secretary – Madam Barbara Serwaa Asamoah, Second Deputy General Secretary – Peter Boamah Otokonor, National Organiser – Joshua Hamido Akamba, First Deputy National Organiser – Kobby Barlon, Second Deputy National Organiser – Chief Hamilton Biney Nixon, National Communications Director – Sammy Gyamfi, First Deputy Communications Director – Kwaku Boahene, Second Deputy National Communications Director – Godwin Ako Gunn, The National Zongo Caucus Coordinator – Alhaji Mamah Mohammed, The National Executive Committee Members: Madam Evelyn Enyonam Mensa, Alhaji Adramani Haribu, Sheriff Abdul Nasiru, Alhaji Babanlame Abu Sadat and Mr William Wilson Agbleke, National Youth Organiser – George Opare Addo, First Deputy National Youth Organiser – Edem Agbana, Second Deputy National Youth Organiser – Ruth Dela Sedoh, National Women's Organiser – Hanna Louisa Bissiw, First Deputy National Women's Organiser – Maame Efua Sekyi Addo, Second National Women's Organiser – Madam Abigail Elorm.


Death of the Founder

The NDC decided to hold a vigil in memory of JJ Rawlings, the founder of the party who died on 12 November 2020 at the
Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) is a public teaching hospital located in the Ablekuma South Metropolitan District in Accra, Ghana. It is the only public tertiary hospital in the southern part of the country. It is a teaching hospital affiliate ...
.


References


External links

*
Summary on GhanaWeb
{{Ghanaian political parties 1992 establishments in Ghana Full member parties of the Socialist International Political parties established in 1992 Political parties in Ghana Progressive Alliance Social democratic parties in Ghana