Explained | Who are the main candidates in Ghana's presidential election?

Accra: Ghanaians are set to vote on Dec. 7 for a new president to replace Nana Akufo-Addo, who has served the maximum two terms.

Former president John Dramani Mahama of the opposition National Democratic Congress party is seen as the main challenger to Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, from Akufo-Addo's ruling New Patriotic Party.

Ten other candidates are running. Among them, independent candidates Nana Kwame Bediako and Alan Kyerematen, who are expected to take votes from the two main candidates.

John Dramani Mahama

Former president Mahama, 66, is seen by polls as favourite to win the election given a severe economic crisis that has made the current government unpopular.

While vice president in 2012, Mahama became interim leader after the sudden death of president John Atta Mills. A few months later, Mahama won his own mandate in a presidential election.

During his term, he invested heavily in infrastructure but drew criticism over power shortages, macroeconomic instability and allegations of political corruption, though he was not personally tainted.

He suffered back-to-back election defeats to Akufo-Addo in 2016 and 2020.

Mahama told Reuters in an interview that if he wins a new term in office he will seek to renegotiate terms of a $3 billion International Monetary Fund bailout, which was secured last year to restructure the west African country's debt.

Mahamudu Bawumia

Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, 61, was chosen by the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) as its flag-bearer in the election.

He is the first Muslim to lead a major party in Ghana since 1992 and also the first person outside the dominant Akan-speaking ethnic group to lead the NPP.

The 61-year-old economist and former central banker assumed office as vice president in 2017 after Akufo-Addo's victory in the 2016 election.

Bawumia became the face of economic policy throughout Akufo-Addo's presidency as Ghana battled its worst economic crisis in a generation.

He has promised to simplify the tax system, halve the number of ministers, and cut public spending by 3 per cent of GDP if elected.

Alan Kyerematen

Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen, 69, is a former trade minister who served under Akufo-Addo from 2017 to 2023.

He was put forward by Ghana in 2012 as the candidate to succeed Pascal Lamy as head of the World Trade Organization (WTO), but he lost the race.

A prominent member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kyerematen was highly tipped to win the party's primary and succeed Akufo-Addo.

But he resigned from the party after coming third in the first stage of the primaries, saying his contributions were not appreciated, and applied to run as an independent candidate.

Nana Kwame Bediako

Bediako started his election campaign as a mystery candidate, hanging billboards across Ghana that showed a masked face and a promise to empower youth.

The 44-year-old businessman, working in infrastructure development, has contributed to the creation of over 700 homes and employs over 3,000 people, according to his website.

The independent candidate's election promises include plans to create industries in all of Ghana's regions. He has pledged to govern with only 12 cabinet ministers.

Two years ago, Bediako shot into the limelight when his neighbours complained the businessman was keeping tigers at home.