Ghana Presidential Candidate Akua Donkor Passes Away

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Akua Donkor, a presidential candidate in Ghana's upcoming elections on December 7, 2024, has passed away at the age of 72.

One of the 13 presidential candidates in Ghana for the upcoming elections on December 7 has passed away. Akua Donkor, the founder of the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP), died while receiving medical treatment at a hospital in Accra, the capital of Ghana, on Monday, October 28, around 10 PM local time. Donkor was one of two female presidential candidates in the forthcoming election, the other being Nana Frimpomaa from the Convention People's Party (CPP). According to the state-owned Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Donkor was 72 years old at the time of her death.

Reports from Ghanaian media indicate that Donkor had been diagnosed with abdominal complications at a hospital in eastern Ghana on Saturday, October 26. After receiving treatment, she was discharged and allowed to return home. However, on Monday, she experienced a medical emergency and was taken to a major hospital in Accra for specialized care. Her running mate, Kwabena Agyeman Appiah Kubi, visited Donkor in the hospital at around 1 PM on Monday and left at 3:30 PM. Later that evening, he received a phone call informing him of her passing at 10 PM. Kubi, who is in his early 40s and is a well-known radio host in Ghana, is famously referred to as Roman Fada.

According to Ghanaian law, if a presidential candidate dies after being nominated, the electoral commission allows the affected party 10 days to nominate a new candidate. Once a new candidate has been nominated and cleared to run, the election can be postponed by up to 21 days. However, if the deceased candidate was an independent candidate, the election calendar remains unaffected. With the elections just 37 days away, all eyes are now on the electoral commission for guidance on the next steps. As it stands, the commission has time on its side to proceed with the polls as originally scheduled. Donkor's running mate, Kubi, has expressed interest in becoming the Ghana Freedom Party's presidential candidate following her death.

Born in Ghana's southern Ashanti region in February 1956, Donkor became a notable cocoa farmer and later developed an interest in politics. Information regarding her educational background is limited. In 2012, she sought to run for the presidency as an independent candidate, but her application was rejected by the electoral commission due to her failure to meet the minimum requirements. Subsequently, she founded the Ghana Freedom Party, aiming to advocate for the less privileged in society. In the 2016 elections, she was barred from running again for the same reason. However, in 2020, she successfully met the nomination requirements and was among the 12 candidates competing for the presidency. She finished 11th, garnering over 5,300 votes in an election won by incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo, who received 6.7 million votes. Former President John Mahama of the opposition party came in second with 6.2 million votes.

In the current election, Donkor was cleared to run alongside Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, the ruling party's candidate, former President Mahama, and 10 others. She was known for her passion for agriculture and her advocacy for women's rights. One of her prominent campaign pledges was to extend maternity leave from three months to one year. Donkor was a mother of several children.