The managing editor of the Daily Dispatch newspaper, Benjamin Emmanuel Ephson predicts that the former First Lady may put to a halt her political activities tailing the passing of her husband, former President Rawlings.
He says his prediction is because of the love and respect the former First Lady has for her husband and may wish to mourn his passing some more before getting back to her political endeavors.
He however reserved the possibility of Mrs. Rawlings continuing her political activities in the bid to win ‘sympathy votes’ come December 7.
“Or perhaps, Mrs. Rawlings may decide to still continue and get sympathy votes,” he said.
Mr. Ephson went on to say that the death of the former President will cause a massive change in the political landscape. He said that he does not believe the passing of the former President will win NDC more votes come December 7 but rather, he predicts a split of vote between the ruling NPP because the late President was very comfortable with the leadership of the NPP.
Conversely, he believed the main opposition, the NDC, may pull a surprise because of late Rawlings’ affiliation to the party as its founder, whereas the NDP party founded by Mrs. Rawlings will canvass more “sympathy votes”.
“I don’t believe that all of the people who love Mr. Rawlings will vote NDC. I suspect that a good percentage may vote NPP.”
“Because Rawlings is very comfortable within the NPP hierarchy from the President downwards. And I suspect that maybe a quarter or third of the hardcore Rawlings support might vote for the NPP,” he said.
He added that, the late President was a vibrant political figure whose achievements and contributions to the political history of this country can never be understated.
“He is a political huge tree in this country. He lived with political reality. When he came to power in 1982, he had these socialist ideas.”
“But those that he brought on board; like Kwesi Botchwey and Ahwoi, they let him know that he will have to look to the Bretton Woods Institutions, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and so he abandoned those ideas,”
The National Democratic Party(NDP) is a Ghanaian political party formed in October 2012 as a breakaway from the current main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress(NDC). It was founded by former NDC politician and former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings and wife of the founder of the NDC.
The NDP however did not make the electoral ballot paper in the 2012 and 2016 general elections but is number 11 on the 2020 presidential ballot paper.
Following the passing of Former President Jerry John Rawlings, the sitting President, His Excellency Nana Akufo Addo has declared a seven-day national morning and has also ordered that all flags nationwide fly at half-mast starting from today, November 13th to Friday, November 20th, 2020 in honor of the late former President.
The NDC has also halted its political activities to mourn its founder, the late Former President, Jerry John Rawlings.
