Ghana's ruling party endorses president Mahama for 2016 elections

Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama over the weekend received a massive endorsement from his ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to run in the 2016 general election.

By 95.1 percentage votes, Mahama was declared the party's flagbearer for next year's general election.

Although nobody contested the president, the party's constitution required that whoever was chosen as presidential candidate shall have more than 50 percent of votes in the presidential primaries.

The election, which ran concurrently with the parliamentary primaries of the party, was therefore done in the manner of a referendum, allowing party voters to vote "Yes" for the president's candidature, or a "No" against him.

In his acceptance speech, Mahama asked that the primaries be a guide for party members in future, calling for a peaceful national campaign next year.

"It is with a great sense of humility, respect and confidence that I accept this mandate you have given me to lead the most modern, most youthful, most efficient, most organized, most stable, most peaceful, most united and most democratic party in Ghana," said the president. Enditem