Research and data firm Fitch Solutions expects the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to defeat the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the upcoming December 7 general election.
The London-based firm has consistently predicted this outcome since last year, noting that a recent poll showed 54% of respondents backing NDC candidate John Mahama to win the presidential election.
Mike Kruniger, associate director of country risk at Fitch Solutions, stressed in his semi-annual assessment of sub-Saharan Africa that the current economic situation will have a major impact on the December 7 election decision.
He stressed that economic management and job creation are the most important issues for voters, which could be detrimental to the NPP given the economic challenges the country has faced in recent years.
“We believe the opposition NDC has a better chance of winning the upcoming general election than the ruling NPP. In recent polls, the NDC has consistently led. The latest data shows that 54% of respondents prefer the NDC.
“Furthermore, several opinion polls indicate that economic management and job creation are the most important issues for voters. Given the economic challenges the country has faced in recent years, we believe this puts the ruling NPP at a disadvantage.
Furthermore, Kruniger explained that a possible NDC government under Mahama would likely continue the political course of the current government.
“As for what a change of government would mean for the economy, we believe that the policy trajectory would probably not change significantly under an NDC government.
“The NDC is most likely to stick to Ghana’s IMF program, especially since the party has shown commitment to international agreements and pledges in the past. So, in summary, we expect politics to continue in Ghana despite a likely change of government,” he stressed.
