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| John Dramani Mahama declared winner of Ghana election | John Dramani Mahama declared winner of Ghana election |
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| The incumbent John Dramani Mahama has been declared the winner of Ghana's presidential election, despite widespread technical glitches with the machines used to identify voters and protests by the country's opposition, which claims the vote was rigged. | The incumbent John Dramani Mahama has been declared the winner of Ghana's presidential election, despite widespread technical glitches with the machines used to identify voters and protests by the country's opposition, which claims the vote was rigged. |
| Armoured tanks surrounded Ghana's electoral commission and police barricaded the roads around its offices as its chairman, Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, announced that Mahama had polled 5.5m votes, or 50.7%. | Armoured tanks surrounded Ghana's electoral commission and police barricaded the roads around its offices as its chairman, Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, announced that Mahama had polled 5.5m votes, or 50.7%. |
| The opposition leader, Nana Akufo-Addo, who lost the 2008 election by less than 1%, came second with 5.2m votes, or 47.7%, Afari-Gyan said. Voter turnout was high, with around 80% of the roughly 14 million registered voters casting ballots in Friday's presidential and parliamentary elections. In a draft statement seen by reporters, the opposition said it would contest the results. | The opposition leader, Nana Akufo-Addo, who lost the 2008 election by less than 1%, came second with 5.2m votes, or 47.7%, Afari-Gyan said. Voter turnout was high, with around 80% of the roughly 14 million registered voters casting ballots in Friday's presidential and parliamentary elections. In a draft statement seen by reporters, the opposition said it would contest the results. |
| "This situation, if allowed to go unchallenged and uncorrected, would seriously damage the essence of the electoral process and the substance of democracy in Ghana," the New Patriotic party said in the draft statement, which was emailed to reporters. | "This situation, if allowed to go unchallenged and uncorrected, would seriously damage the essence of the electoral process and the substance of democracy in Ghana," the New Patriotic party said in the draft statement, which was emailed to reporters. |
| "To accept this result is to discredit democracy in Ghana and, in the process, distort the process of democratisation in Africa. Therefore, the New Patriotic party cannot accept the results of the presidential election as declared by the EC [election commission] this evening," the statement said. | "To accept this result is to discredit democracy in Ghana and, in the process, distort the process of democratisation in Africa. Therefore, the New Patriotic party cannot accept the results of the presidential election as declared by the EC [election commission] this evening," the statement said. |
| Ghana has one of the longest traditions of democracy in this troubled corner of Africa, but Friday's election was fraught, after biometric machines used to identify voters through their fingerprints failed to work in scores of polling stations, forcing officials to extend voting into a second day. Akufo-Addo's party has accused the ruling party of using the disorder caused by the technical failure to rig the election. | Ghana has one of the longest traditions of democracy in this troubled corner of Africa, but Friday's election was fraught, after biometric machines used to identify voters through their fingerprints failed to work in scores of polling stations, forcing officials to extend voting into a second day. Akufo-Addo's party has accused the ruling party of using the disorder caused by the technical failure to rig the election. |
| International observers called Friday's election the sixth transparent vote in Ghana's history. No other country in the region has had as many free and fair votes. However, analysts point out that Ghana's history and its record of democratic progress is not that different from that of nearby Mali, a nation also considered a model democracy until a coup this spring. | International observers called Friday's election the sixth transparent vote in Ghana's history. No other country in the region has had as many free and fair votes. However, analysts point out that Ghana's history and its record of democratic progress is not that different from that of nearby Mali, a nation also considered a model democracy until a coup this spring. |
| The outcome of the election will hinge on whether the 68-year-old Akufo-Addo will accept the results. Neighbouring Ivory Coast was dragged to the brink of civil war last year after that race's loser refused to accept defeat. | The outcome of the election will hinge on whether the 68-year-old Akufo-Addo will accept the results. Neighbouring Ivory Coast was dragged to the brink of civil war last year after that race's loser refused to accept defeat. |
| "We won. They are sore losers. They wanted [the electoral commission] to postpone the announcement of the results and [the chairman] said there is no reason to postpone. There was no foundation for their allegations," said Mahama's presidential adviser, Tony Aidoo. He added that the opposition's allegation of vote rigging "was a plan to create mayhem, and mayhem will come … They had such high expectations of coming back to power." | "We won. They are sore losers. They wanted [the electoral commission] to postpone the announcement of the results and [the chairman] said there is no reason to postpone. There was no foundation for their allegations," said Mahama's presidential adviser, Tony Aidoo. He added that the opposition's allegation of vote rigging "was a plan to create mayhem, and mayhem will come … They had such high expectations of coming back to power." |
| International observers endorsed the elections, calling the vote credible despite the delays caused by the failure of the voter identification machines. "There were hiccups but not such that would grossly undermine the result of the election," said the former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo, who led the delegation from Ecowas, the bloc representing nations in west Africa. | International observers endorsed the elections, calling the vote credible despite the delays caused by the failure of the voter identification machines. "There were hiccups but not such that would grossly undermine the result of the election," said the former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo, who led the delegation from Ecowas, the bloc representing nations in west Africa. |
| Mahama, a former vice-president, was catapulted into office in July after the unexpected death of the then president, John Atta Mills, an ascension that was itself praised as a democratic example because the constitutional order of succession was swiftly applied by the government and unanimously accepted by the population. Before becoming vice-president in 2009, the 54-year-old Mahama served as a government minister and a member of parliament. | Mahama, a former vice-president, was catapulted into office in July after the unexpected death of the then president, John Atta Mills, an ascension that was itself praised as a democratic example because the constitutional order of succession was swiftly applied by the government and unanimously accepted by the population. Before becoming vice-president in 2009, the 54-year-old Mahama served as a government minister and a member of parliament. |
| Akufo-Addo is a former foreign minister and the son of one of Ghana's previous presidents. | Akufo-Addo is a former foreign minister and the son of one of Ghana's previous presidents. |
| Both candidates tried to make the case that they would use the nation's oil riches to help the poor. Besides being one of the few established democracies in the region, Ghana also has the fastest-growing economy. Oil was discovered in 2007 and the country began producing it in December 2010. But a deep divide still exists between those benefiting from the country's oil, cocoa and mineral wealth and those left behind financially. | Both candidates tried to make the case that they would use the nation's oil riches to help the poor. Besides being one of the few established democracies in the region, Ghana also has the fastest-growing economy. Oil was discovered in 2007 and the country began producing it in December 2010. But a deep divide still exists between those benefiting from the country's oil, cocoa and mineral wealth and those left behind financially. |
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