Thursday, 28 August

I will curb election-year expenditure overruns because I am not running for office- Mahama

Politics
President Mahama and Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam

President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed his adherence to Ghana’s two-term presidential limit, stating that his absence from the 2028 ballot will put him in a stronger position to enforce fiscal discipline and curb the perennial election-year overspending that has fuelled cyclical economic crises.

Speaking during a bilateral meeting with Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on a three-day state visit, President Mahama decried the practice of incumbent governments circumventing fiscal safeguards to curry favour with voters. 

He pledged to hold the line in the run-up to the 2028 polls, stressing: “I will not be a candidate in the next elections and therefore I can hold the line when it comes to fiscal discipline.”

He also highlighted the gains his administration has recorded since his return to office following a landslide victory in the 2024 elections, citing rapid declines in inflation and interest rates, as well as a significant appreciation of the cedi.

Mahama’s remarks contradict claims by members of the opposition New Patriotic Party that he intends to seek a third term after his current and final tenure. 

The bilateral talks in Singapore focused on economic cooperation and investment

Source: Classfmonline.com/Pearl Olennu