ACCRA (Reuters) – Ghana’s ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has picked incumbent Nana Akufo-Addo as its presidential candidate in this year’s election, setting up a third consecutive head-to-head battle against former president John Dramani Mahama.
Akufo-Addo, 76, unseated Mahama in 2016 with 53.8% of the vote, cementing the gold, and cocoa producing West African nation’s reputation as a leading democracy in a region that has earned notoriety for political instability.
Akufo-Addo will contest the Dec. 7 poll with Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia as his running mate, the NPP said in a statement on Saturday.
Mahama, 61, who has been chosen by the National Democratic Congress as its candidate, defeated Akufo-Addo in the 2012 presidential race.
(Reporting by Christian Akorlie; Writing by Bate Felix; Editing by Mike Harrison)
