KNN-Ghana, West AfricaIn a cliffhanger presidential race between Ghana's two dominant parties NPP and NDC, opposition leader NDC's flag bearer Prof. John Atta Mills (NDC) has prevailed as Ghana's President Elect, announces Ghana's Electoral Commission.
The Commission's chairman Kwadwo Afari-Gyan has confirmed that Mills won the runoff by a narrow margin having secured 50.23% of the votes, while his opponent, the ruling party's candidate Nana Akufo-Addo made out with 49.77%.
NDC 's (National Democratic Congress) narrow victory over ruling NPP (New Patriotic Party) party was declared on Saturday in the wake of a crucial makeup vote held Friday in Tain, a western district where due to a shortage of ballots and late arrival of electoral materials, voters had not been able to cast their second round ballots on December 28, 2008.
The ruling NPP party had requested cancellation of the makeup vote and vowed to boycott it. Nonetheless, the vote was conducted and helped to seal the marginal win increasing NDC's lead from 50.13% to 50.23% of the votes.
Both NDP and NPP parties claimed abnormal voting procedures in various district, however the evidence that each submitted did not substantiate any foul play.
Ghana's exiting President John Kufour (NPP), stepping down after having served the maximum of two 4-year terms, called for peace during Friday's runoff election as well as in its aftermath. NPP's lawyers withdrew its court complaints to preserve the country's stability.
President Elect Mills is a 64-year-old lawyer, law professor who served as Vice President under former President Jerry J. Rawlings. Mills had attempted twice previously to win the presidential bid in 2000 and 2004.
Among the many privileges he will enjoy as Ghana's new President elect, the win grants Mills the right to decide how revenues from Ghana's recent commercially significant oil and hydrocarbon discoveries will be managed. His decision may thrust Ghana into the likes of its neighbors as an oil exporter as early as 2010.
Ghana ranks as the world's largest cocoa grower as well as Africa's second gold producer. To add to its wealth, one find at a Ghanaian oil-field has been estimated at 1.8 billion barrels of crude petroleum.
1 comment:
Yah Khai!
This is the season of evaluating Extraordinary Leadership in the Africa World.....a theme chosen by the Holy Jerusalem Writers' Conference Directorship.
Let us pray that as the madness of the demon-oc-cracy process has subsided; Ghana would be able to assert its place in the African and Global New World where the new Government will present an example of Spiritually Regenerative LEADERSHIP so that the country which the Noble Kwame Nkrumah fought and died for will rise to its status in the world exemplifying a new type of Governance, where the people of Ghana and her Diaspora can take pride in and feel empowered.
The recent Kenyan and Zimbabwe examples of demon-oc-cracy at work shows that the system is evil at core and we have to find a process of leadership that works for us and not be antagonistic to the peace and stability of the state and harmony of the people.
KNN THIRD EYE--London, England
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