GHANA POLLSNOW TO GO TO SECOND ROUND VOTE

DAILY NATION
NAIROBI
ACCRA
December 10 2008

No candidate reached 50pc needed to score an outright win


ACCRA, Wednesday


Ghana’s presidential election will be decided in a second-round vote, the electoral commission announced today. The commission said the governing party candidate Nana Akufo-Addo won just over 49.13 per cent of the vote, against just under 47.92 per cent for his rival, John Atta-Mills.

But neither candidate reached the 50 per cent share of the vote needed to score an outright win, officials said. The run-off will be held on December 28 and the campaigns are going to start again soon.

So far, all observers have praised Ghana for setting a good example on how to hold an election.

There were a number of candidates to succeed President John Kufuor – who steps down in January having served the maximum two terms – but the election was a two-horse race.

However, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) seemed poised to win control of parliament in the country’s elections.

Party representatives said their counts from Sunday’s voting indicated that the NDC had won at least 115 seats in the 230-seat national assembly, overturning a previous 128-seat NPP majority.

An NDC victory in parliament would, if combined with a presidential win for the NPP’s Akufo-Addo in the second round, set up the prospect of a divided government for Ghana at a time when it is moving towards becoming an oil producer in late 2010.

Possibilities

“A win by the NPP in the second round will automatically produce a divided government, which will naturally create regular tensions around yearly budgets, ministerial appointments and privatisations,” said Sebastian Spio-Garbrah, an analyst with Eurasia Group.

Although largely peaceful and widely praised by observers, the elections have raised tension in Ghana and the stakes are high.

Some parliamentary results have been disputed, raising the risk of a peaceful poll turning acrimonious, and there have been isolated reports of violence. (BBC and Reuters)

INTERNATIONAL REACTIONS

Submitted by ratz
Posted December 11, 2008 12:19 PM

Ghanians were the first black African country to gain Independent, and am very sure they will set the pace for true African democracy... well done Ghanians, we are proud of what you have done, do not let us down even the second round.....

Submitted by muyanga
Posted December 11, 2008 08:36 AM

Kenya did not fail, it is some individuals and institution that let Kenya down. There is no way a country will to elections, votes cast and counted and then a winner can not be determined.

Submitted by yesuwangu
Posted December 10, 2008 11:54 PM

Kenya should learn,watch and emulate their fellow counterparts of Ghana.well done ghanians Be thou blessed for your maturity

Submitted by osirogo
Posted December 10, 2008 07:40 PM

I hope this election goes well. Fair and peacefully. Ghana must set pace for how elections are to be held. Kenya failed in this regard in December. We should learn from them!