National Democratic Congress | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| Abbreviation | NDC |
| Leader | John Mahama |
| Chairperson | Asiedu Nketia |
| General Secretary | Fifi Kwetey |
| Founder | Jerry Rawlings |
| Founded | 28 July 1992; 33 years ago (1992-07-28) |
| Headquarters | Adama Ave,Adabraka,Accra |
| Student wing | TEIN |
| Ideology | Social democracy |
| Political position | Centre-left |
| International affiliation | Progressive Alliance Socialist International |
| Colors | Green,White,Red,Black |
| Slogan | Unity, Stability and Development |
| Anthem | "Arise, Arise for Ghana"[1] |
| Parliament | 184 / 276 |
| Pan-African Parliament | 3 / 5 |
| Election symbol | |
| The Umbrella with the Head of aEagle at the Tip | |
| Party flag | |
.svg) | |
| Website | |
| www | |
TheNational Democratic Congress (NDC) is asocial democraticpolitical party inGhana, founded byJerry Rawlings, who was Head of State from 1981 to 1993. He became thePresident of Ghana from 1993 to 2001.[2][3] Following the formation of theProvisional National Defence Council (PNDC), which ruled Ghana following the militarycoup d'état 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 withJohn Atta Mills as its candidate. They established the 1992 constitution.
The NDC party symbol is an umbrella with the head of adove at the tip. The party colors are red, white, green, and black, with the party slogan or motto as "Unity, stability, and development." Internationally, the NDC is a member of theProgressive Alliance[4] andSocialist International.[5]
On 9 December 2012, the Electoral Commission of Ghana declared NDC candidateJohn Mahama to be president-elect after a hotly contested race in which he won 50.7% of the votes cast.[6]
The National Democratic Congress was founded byJerry Rawlings, who had been the military leader of Ghana since 1981. In 1992, the NDC led the successful transition to multi-party competition, an example of authoritarian-leddemocratization. The NDC won the 1992 and 1996 elections.[7][8][9]
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 theConstitution of Ghana.John Atta Mills became the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress at a special delegate congress held inHo in theVolta Region. He was popularly acclaimed the presidential candidate of the party for the 2000 presidential election. Vice-presidentJohn Atta Mills lost in 2000 to theNew Patriotic Party'sJohn Kufuor after two rounds of voting.[10]
In the 2004 elections, the party's manifesto called for "A Better Ghana".[11]John Atta Mills ran again for the NDC in the2004 presidential elections with his running mateMuhammad Mumuni.[12][13] He won 44.6% of the vote, but lost to theNew Patriotic Party. In thegeneral elections held on 7 December 2004, the party won only 94 of the 230 seats.
On 21 December 2006, Mills was overwhelmingly elected by the NDC as its candidate for the2008 presidential election with a majority of 81.4%, or 1,362 votes.Ekwow Spio-Garbrah was second with 8.7% (146 votes),Mahama Iddrisu was third with 8.2% (137 votes), andEdward Annan was fourth with 1.7% (28 votes).[14] In April 2008,John Mahama was chosen as the party's vice-presidential candidate.[15] 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.[16]
PresidentJohn Atta Mills died, after a short illness, in the afternoon of 24 July 2012 while still in office. Vice PresidentJohn Mahama of the NDC was sworn in as president that evening.[17] The NDC picked Mahama for their presidential candidate and sitting vice presidentPaa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur as their vice-presidential candidate for the 2012 elections.[18]
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, PresidentJohn Mahama was endorsed to lead the NDC in the 2016 general elections.[19]
In February 2019,John Mahama was confirmed as the candidate of the opposition National Democratic Congress to contest in the 2020 elections, the incumbent presidentNana Akufo-Addo who unseated Mahama in a 2016 election, capitalizing on an economy that was slowing due to falling prices for gold, oil and cocoa exports.[20] 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.[21][22][23]
On 25 June 2020 the NDC led by its General SecretaryAsiedu Nketiah,[24] lost a case in theSupreme Court of Ghana in which the party had sought to achieve the inclusion of old Voter ID cards in theElectoral Commission's compilation of a New Voter's Register, among other reliefs.[25]
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.[26]
During the2024 Ghanaian general election, the NDC candidate, former PresidentJohn Mahama, won a majority of votes, enough to win without a runoff. The incumbent NPP candidateMahamudu Bawumia conceded defeat the morning after election night.[27][28] Mahama's running-mateJane Naana Opoku-Agyemang became the first woman to be elected as vice president of Ghana.[29] During the 2024 parliamentary elections, the NDC won alandslide victory, winning 184 out of 276 seats.[30]
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:
The National Democratic Congress holds elections every four years to elect its national executives.
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, First Vice Chairman – Chief Sofo Azorka, Second Vice ChairpersonSherry Ayitey, Third Vice Chairman –Alhaji Said Sinare, General Secretary –Johnson Asiedu-Nketia, First Deputy General Secretary – MadamBarbara 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.[31]
The NDC decided to hold a vigil in memory ofJJ Rawlings,[32] the founder of the party who died on 12 November 2020 at theKorle-Bu Teaching Hospital.[33]
| Election | Candidate | First Round | Second Round | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |||
| 1992 | Jerry Rawlings | 2,327,600 | 58.4% | — | Elected Y | |
| 1996 | 4,099,758 | 57.4% | — | ElectedY | ||
| 2000 | John Atta Mills | 2,895,575 | 44.8% | 2,728,241 | 43.3% | Lost N |
| 2004 | 3,850,368 | 44.6% | — | LostN | ||
| 2008 | 4,056,634 | 47.9% | 4,501,466 | 50.1% | ElectedY | |
| 2012 | John Mahama | 5,574,761 | 50.7% | — | ElectedY | |
| 2016 | 4,713,277 | 44.4% | — | LostN | ||
| 2020 | 6,213,182 | 47.36% | — | LostN | ||
| 2024 | 6,591,790 | 56.42% | — | ElectedY | ||
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 1,521,629 | 77.5% | 189 / 200 |  189 | 1st | Supermajority government |
| 1996 | 4,099,758 | 57.4% | 133 / 200 |  56 |  1st | Supermajority government |
| 2000 | 2,691,515 | 41.2% | 91 / 200 | 42 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 2004 | 3,505,074 | 40.8% | 94 / 230 | 3 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 2008 | 3,776,917 | 44.1% | 116 / 230 | 22 | 1st | Majority government |
| 2012 | 5,127,671 | 46.4% | 148 / 275 | 32 | 1st | Majority government |
| 2016 | 4,560,491 | 42.2% | 104 / 275 | 44 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 2020 | 6,094,478 | 46.2% | 137 / 275 | 32 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 2024 | 6,224,054 | 53.0% | 184 / 276 | 47 | 1st | Supermajority government |
(in English)| Preceded by Provisional National Defence Council (military government) | Governments of Ghana Rawlings government 1993–2001 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Kufuor government (New Patriotic Party) | Governments of Ghana Mills government &Mahama government 2009–2017 | Succeeded by Akufo-Addo government (New Patriotic Party) |
