At stake in this election:

• The office of President of Ghana

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President John Dramani MAHAMA *
• Head of Government: President John Dramani MAHAMA
• Assembly: Ghana has a unicameral Parliament with 275 seats.

* If no candidate wins a majority (50 percent + 1 majority vote) in the first round, then a run-off election occurs on December 28.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by majority vote to serve a 4-year term.
• In the Parliament 275 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 4-year terms.

Main Candidates in the Presidential race:

• John Dramani MAHAMA
  • Party: National Democratic Congress (NDC)
• Henry Herbert LARTEY
  • Party: Great Consolidated Political Party (GCPP)
• Nana Addo Dankwa AKUFO-ADDO
  • Party: New Patriotic Party (NPP)
• Papa Kwesi NDUOM
  • Party: Progressive People’s Party (PPP)
• Akwasi Addai ODIKE
  • Party: United Front Party (UFP)
• Ayariga HASSAN
  • Party: People’s National Convention (PNC)
• Michael Abu Sakara FOSTER
  • Party: Convention People’s Party (CPP)
• Jacob Osei YEBOAH
  • Independent(s): N/A

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 25,544,565 (2012)
• Registered Voters: 14,158,890 (December 2012 *Voters were registered in 2012 using a biometric system.)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 12,887,808 (2012)

·         Is Ghana a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Ghana ratified CEDAW: Yes (2 January 1985)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: No

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 30 (following the 2012 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 140 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: High (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Ghana a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Ghana ratified CRPD: Yes (31 July 2012)

·         Population with a disability: 3,831,684 (est.)