Ghana vote 'beacon of hope' for Africa

8 Dec 2008, 5:59 pm   -   Source: AFP
0 Comments
Share This
+ Comment
0

Ghanaians vote in droves for presidential successor, apparently without intimidation and violence of other African polls.

RELATED

Ghanaians have voted in droves for a successor to President John Kufuor, in an election observers said seemed to be free of the intimidation and violence that have marred other African polls.

"This election for Ghana is yet another transition in terms of a maturing democracy," Valerie Amos, the head of the Commonwealth observer mission, told AFP.

"It's important for the world to see there are countries on the African continent where elections can be held peacefully," she said.

An incident-free vote here would be a welcome relief after last December's disputed election in Kenya that left at least 1,500 people dead and the ongoing crisis in Zimbabwe, where the opposition candidate withdrew from a June presidential runoff amid political violence.

Seven presidential aspirants are vying in the polls to succeed Kufuor, one of Africa's most respected leaders who is standing down. These are the fifth elections since the return to multi-party democracy in 1992.

"I have finished my two terms ...on a good note," Kufuor said, after casting his vote in Accra.

"It's up to my successor to take the mantle from where I have left and Ghana will be a beacon in Africa and the world at large," he added.

Observers said the election was set to be one of the most tightly fought, and if successful, should be a cue for the rest of the continent.

Provisional results should be released within three days, with a possible second round scheduled December 28.

Ben Akoh, of the Open Society for West Africa said he saw Ghana as reinforcing the recent relative stability in west Africa.

"After Zimbabwe and Kenya we don't want to see a de facto situation where people come to take power-sharing agreements as the norm. We want decisive electoral victories through credible free and fair elections," he told AFP.

The real contest is between the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) of the fiery former ruler Jerry Rawlings, which was in power until the 2000 elections.

"There's a bright future for this country," said NDC founder Rawlings, as he was mobbed by voters chanting: "Welcome Daddy. We want you back. We are hungry."

Ruling party candidate Nana Akufo-Addo was also upbeat about Ghana's prospects.

"It is a particularly good feeling that what we have fought for – that Ghanaians should have the right to choose their leaders in a peaceful and serene environment – has become a reality," he said.

Akufo-Addo, 64, a NPP lawyer and John Atta-Mills, also 64, a law professor from the NDC, are the leading contenders for president. Both candidates predicted victory.

"I am confident of winning this election," Atta-Mills told reporters as he cast his vote in Accra.

Atta-Mills has campaigned on a promise of change for a "better Ghana," arguing the economy is floundering even though the country has been hailed as a model of prosperity and stability.

But Papa Kwesi Nduom, 55, a businessman representing the Convention People's Party (CPP), could surprise the two front-runners.

As soon as counting started, members of the public thronged polling stations to quietly witness the counting. Some took notes.

Electoral Commission chairman Kwadwo Afari-Gyan expects final tallies to show high turnout.

"It has been very peaceful and very orderly," he said.

The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) agreed that polling appeared to have been "generally peaceful."

But the NDC complained that people in the northern Tamale region were carrying ballot papers pre-stamped in favour of the ruling NPP.

NPP campaign manager Kofi Apraku dismissed the allegation, saying the ballot papers in question were being used for voter education purposes.

  • Follow us: 
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Youtube

Join the Discussion

Name
City / Suburb E.g. Artarmon, Sydney
Title
Comment
You have characters remaining.
Validation
What's this?
This is a captcha-picture. It is used to prevent mass-access by robots.
All submitted comments become the property of SBS. They are moderated, so we reserve the right to edit comments and remove HTML tags. Not all submitted comments will be published. Publication does not mean we endorse the opinions expressed. Please read our terms and conditions for more information.