ACCRA, 12 November 2020 – Former Ghanaian President Jerry John Rawlings has died at the age of 73.
He died in a hospital in the capital, Accra, after a brief illness.
The Ghanaian government which announced his passing into glory did not indicate what was the exact cause of death.
A week of national mourning has been decreed in Ghana to honor the memory of the man seen as the father of modern Ghana.
John Mahama, the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the political party founded by Rawlings, suspended his campaign for a week.
A flight captain, Rawlings led two coups – in 1979 and again in 1981.
Father of Modern Ghana Jerry Rawlings – Photo DN Media
During his leadership of his first military junta, he approved the execution of several former heads of state for their alleged involvement in corruption and mismanagement of public funds.
Some of Ghana’s former and active Supreme Court judges were also executed.
He was at the helm of the military junta until he was first elected president in 1992.
Rawlings, who is known by some of his fans as “Junior Jesus”, stepped down after serving a second term in 2001.
