A new post-election survey conducted by the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), in collaboration with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), has revealed that the high cost of living, rampant corruption, and the controversial Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) were major reasons behind the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) defeat in the 2024 general elections.
The findings were unveiled during the launch of a report titled “Stocktaking Ghana’s Democracy: Voter Behaviour and Political Participation”, held in Accra on June 3, 2025.
The report was presented by Dr Joseph A. Darmoe, Director of Programmes at KAS and Senior Lecturer at GIMPA.
According to the study, 47.3 percent of respondents cited the high cost of living as the primary reason for voting against the NPP government.
Corruption was the second most cited reason, with 8.4 percent of voters expressing dissatisfaction with what they described as a high level of graft under the NPP administration.
Another 7.8 percent of respondents pointed to the E-Levy as a major grievance that influenced their decision at the polls. The E-Levy, introduced by the NPP government, had long been criticized by many Ghanaians for increasing the financial burden on ordinary citizens.
Additional reasons cited by voters included arrogance and disrespectful behaviour by government appointees (7.2%), and the unpopular betting tax (5.9%).
The nationwide survey, conducted between May 8 and May 20, 2025, involved 16,988 registered voters across all 276 constituencies.
The 2024 general elections saw the then-opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), led by current President John Dramani Mahama, secure a decisive victory over the NPP, which was led by then-Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
The NDC not only won the presidency but also secured a majority in Parliament.
