The National Democratic Congress (NDC) is a social-democratic political party in Ghana, founded by H.E. Former President Jerry Rawlings, who was Head of State of Ghana from 1981 to 1993 and the President of Ghana from 7th January 1993 to 6th January 2001.
Following the formation of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) which ruled Ghana after the military coup d’état on 31 December 1981, there was pressure from the international community to restore democracy.
The NDC was formed as the ruling party ahead of elections in 1992, in which Rawlings was elected president on the NDC’s ticket, and in 1996 Rawlings was re-elected. The NDC lost power in the 2000 elections after Rawlings had handed over to H.E. Former President John Evans Atta Mills and it was not until the 2008 election that they regained it with candidate H.E. John Evans Atta Mills.
The NDC party’s symbol is an umbrella with the head of an eagle at the tip. The party colors are red, white, green, and black, and the party slogan or motto is “Unity, stability, and development.” Internationally, the NDC is a member of the Progressive Alliance and Socialist International
On 9 December 2012, the Electoral Commission of Ghana declared NDC candidate John Dramani Mahama to be President-elect after a hotly contested race in which he won 50.7% of votes cast.
The NDC has contested all national elections since its inception.
The 2000 election was the first presidential election since 1992 that an incumbent president was not on the ballot. Jerry Rawlings’ eight-year tenure had expired as per the Constitution of Ghana. John Atta Mills became the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress at a special delegate congress held in Ho in the Volta Region of Ghana.
He was popularly acclaimed the presidential candidate of the party for the 2000 presidential election. Vice-President. John Atta Mills lost in 2000 to New Patriotic Party’s John Kufour after two rounds of voting.
In the 2004 elections the party’s manifesto called for “A Better Ghana”. John Atta Mills ran again for the NDC in the 2004 presidential elections, winning 44.6% of the vote, but losing to the New Patriotic Party. In the general elections held on 7 December 2004, the party won only 94 of the 230 seats.
On 21 December 2006, Mills was overwhelmingly elected by the NDC as its candidate for the 2008 presidential election with a majority of 81.4%, or 1,362 votes. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah was second with 8.7% (146 votes), Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu was third with 8.2% (137 votes), and Eddie Annan was fourth with 1.7% (28 votes).
In April 2008, John Mahama was chosen as the party’s vice-presidential candidate. On 3 January 2009, Mills was certified as the victor of the 28 December 2008 run-off election and became the next president of Ghana.
President John Atta Mills died, after a short illness, in the afternoon of 24 July 2012 while still in office. Vice President John Dramani Mahama of the NDC was sworn in as president that evening. The NDC picked John Dramani Mahama as their presidential candidate and sitting vice president Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur as their vice-presidential candidate for the 2012 elections.
In November 2015 after securing an overwhelming 1,199 118 out of a total of 1, 286, 728 votes representing 95.10% party members in the presidential primaries, President John Dramani Mahama was endorsed to lead the NDC in the 2016 general elections.
Governments formed Since the NDC was formed, it has formed two governments following elections, and a third following the death of President Mills.The list of governments is as follows:
- Rawlings Military regime (1981–1993)
- Rawlings government (1993–2001)
- Mills government (2009–2012)
- Mahama government (2012–2016)
AIMS & OBJECTIVES
The aims and objectives of the Party shall conform to the Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms and the Directive Principles of State Policy as enshrined in Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 of the Fourth Republican Constitution and accordingly, the Party shall pursue the political, economic, social, educational and other objectives stated in Chapter 6 of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.
The aims and objectives of the National Democratic Congress Party are to:
- Promote participatory democracy and responsible government in Ghana.
- Attain political power through democratic and Constitutional means to create conditions conducive to ensure national development.
- Ensure the attainment of equality and fraternity of each man and woman under the law without regard to ethnicity, race, religious belief, ideology, culture, social or economic status.
- Secure the right of each member of society to participate in decision-making in an open and democratic manner but defer to the majority interest without the sacrifice of minority rights.
- Ensure the establishment of the rule of law and the right of each citizen or law-abiding person in Ghana to pursue their affairs without unlawful interference and the right of each person to easy access and equal recourse to the court.
- Seek provision of free and compulsory basic education and within the means available, progressively provide appropriate higher education for every citizen of Ghana.
- Ensure the provision within the shortest possible time, to every community in Ghana, basic human needs; adequate food, affordable housing, clothing, water, health care, schools, accessible roads, electricity and telecommunication facilities.
- Establish friendly relations with all countries.
- Strengthen economic, political and cultural co-operation with African countries especially those in the ECOWAS sub-region
- Establish ties with parties and organisations, particularly those with identical political beliefs and commitments throughout the world.
Read Also >>> THE CONSTITUTION OF THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS (NDC)
THE VISION
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) remains deeply committed to the principles and values of Social Democracy As Social Democrats, the NDC subscribes to a compassionate political philosophy that seeks to create opportunities for all to develop to their fullest potential.
The NDC believes that the pursuit of economic prosperity for all Ghanaians can best be achieved through appropriate regulation and strategic investments. It is therefore committed to using the legal, fiscal and trade instruments at our disposal, in an inclusive effort to safeguard the jobs of today and create the jobs of the future.
The NDC’s Vision for various sectors of the Ghanaian Economy is as follows…
Good Governance: Good governance, transparency and the fight against corruption are fundamental to building a stable and prosperous nation. Citizens can draw confidence from Ghana’s impressive progress in … >>>read more>>>
Economy: We must start with ensuring that Ghana remains an attractive investment destination. This means making sure that our democracy remains safe and stable, first of all. We know that we have robust …. >>> Read More >>>
Education: Educate a nation and you build a nation’s wealth. I am a deep believer in the power education has to awaken the imagination and inspire innovation and it is only through these that we, as a nation … >>> read more >>>
Agriculture: We believe passionately in the potential Ghana has in becoming the breadbasket of the region. Our land is rich, our people resourceful and with the power of technology we can revolutionize our … >>>read more>>>
Industry: The importance of our industrial sector cannot be underestimated. 30% of our GDP comes from industry. Our work in this area is the result of clear and careful strategic planning, aimed at making... >>>read more>>>
Infrastructure: We as government have spent the last 4 years focused on building and creating infrastructure: roads, power generation, ports, building hospitals and schools and tertiary education institutions. >>>read more>>>
Jobs: We believe that the role of Government is to create an environment for entrepreneurs to thrive and over the past four years that is what we have done through our massive investment in infrastructure … >>>read more>>>
Healthcare: As your government, we have a responsibility for the healthcare of you – our people –however, more than that for me, how we treat our nation’s sick and infirm is a true reflection of our nation’s soul…. >>>read more>>>
Social Protection: We as the NDC believe that a nation’s heart is reflected in their treatment of its most vulnerable citizens: the elderly, the infirm, children and the poorest in our society. Our policies have… >>> read more>>>
Read Also >>> NDC Members of Parliament in the 7th Parliament of the 4th Republic
