At stake in this election:

• 230 seats in the Parliament

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President John Agyekum KUFUOR *
• Head of Government: President John Agyekum KUFUOR
• Assembly: Ghana has a unicameral Parliament with 230 seats.

* The president is both the chief of state and head of government.
The President is elected by absolute majority vote to serve a 4-year term renewable once.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by absolute majority vote to serve a 4-year term.
• In the Parliament 230 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 4-year terms.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: New Patriotic Party (NPP)
  • Leader: Peter MAC-MANU
  • Seats won in last election: 129
• Party: National Democratic Congress (NDC)
  • Leader: Kwabena ADJEI
  • Seats won in last election: 90
• Party: People's National Convention (PNC)
  • Leader: Alhaji Amed RAMADAN
  • Seats won in last election: 4
• Party: Convention People's Party (CPP)
  • Leader: Ladi NYLANDER
  • Seats won in last election: 3
• Party: Democratic People's Party (DPP)
  • Leader: Thomas Nuako WARD-BREW
  • Seats won in last election: N/A
• Party: Democratic Freedom Party (DFP)
  • Leader: Obed ASAMOAH
  • Seats won in last election: N/A
• Party: Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP)
  • Leader: Dan LARTEY
  • Seats won in last election: N/A

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 23,115,919 (2008)
• Registered Voters: 12,472,758 (December 2008 )

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 11,650,629 (2008)

·         Is Ghana a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Ghana ratified CEDAW: Yes (2 January 1985)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: No

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 18 (following the 2008 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 140 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: High (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Ghana a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Ghana ratified CRPD: Yes (31 July 2012)

·         Population with a disability: 3,467,387 (est.)