TheCable

Nana Akufo-Addo has been voted the leader of Ghana’s main opposition, New Patriotic Party, giving him the automatic ticket to run in the 2016 presidential election.

That will be his third attempt but his chances are rated better this time around, as the ruling National Democratic Congress government, led by President John Mahama, has not been able to stir the country out of economic hardship.

Rising inflation, budget deficit and falling currency have hurt the standard of living in the west African country this year.

“We must rid our country through the peace of the ballot box of the incompetent NDC government of John Mahama and relieve the Ghanaian people of the unjustifiable hardships and difficulties they are encountering,” Akufo-Addo told a party rally in Accra after polling 96% of 126,000 votes cast on Saturday.

“We are then to form a government for Ghana where we will reverse the decline of our nation.”

Mahama government is close to a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a financial assistance program to start in January.

This is expected to help stabilise the economy.

Akufo-Addo, 70, ran for president in 2008 but lost to the NDC’s John Atta Mills.

Mills died suddenly in July 2012 and was succeeded by his vice president Mahama.

Akufo-Addo lost the December 2012 poll and its litigation did not succeed at the supreme court.