December Elections: Pollster urges political parties to avoid run-off

Senior Researcher at Kumasi Technical University and renowned pollster, Professor Smart Sarpong, has called on political parties to intensify their efforts to secure a decisive victory in the upcoming December 7 general election, warning against the likelihood of a run-off.

Speaking on Friday’s edition of Peace FM’s Kokrokoo show hosted by Kwami Sefa Kayi, Prof. Sarpong shared findings from his recent poll, which projects that no candidate is poised to secure the required 50% plus one vote in the first round.

According to the survey, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) flagbearer, is likely to lead with 49.1% of the vote, followed by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, former President John Dramani Mahama, with 45.8%.

Prof. Sarpong emphasised the credibility of his research, which involved a sample size of 99,335 respondents across 4,272 communities, representing Ghana’s 18 million registered voters.

He urged the two leading political parties to spare the nation the stress of a runoff by working harder to secure a “one-touch” victory.

“Work hard for us to get a one-touch and spare ourselves the stress,” he appealed during the interview.

The poll also predicts a parliamentary majority for the ruling NPP, projecting a win of approximately 148 seats.

While emphasising that either of the two dominant parties has a chance of winning in the first round, the report indicates the NPP is better positioned to clinch a decisive victory.