Ghanaian President, Kuffour, set for clear win
WITH 55 per cent of more than three-quarters of the results so far released, Ghanaian President John Kufour is on course for re-election in the country's presidential poll.
His main rival John Atta Mills scored 42 per cent of the majority results, giving Kuffour a clear lead. The winner needs to get more than 50 per cent of the vote to avoid a second round.
According to reports, the main opposition party is ahead in the eastern Volta region and several ruling party ministers have lost their seats in the parliamentary poll.
In one shock result, the main opposition, National Democratic Congress (NDC), picked up one of six newly created seats in the NPP-stronghold region of Ashanti.
The presidential election is the fourth in Ghana since the country became a multi-party state in 1992.
Four candidates are contesting the presidency. Of 230 parliamentary seats up for grabs, 169 constituencies have already been declared.
The election has been praised for being well-run, calm and orderly. Turnout was high with long queues of people waiting patiently to vote.
The electoral commission chairman put the turnout at somewhere between 70 and 80 per cent among the country's 10.4 million registered voters.
Analysts say it would take a major last-minute shock to make the presidential poll go to a second round.
Not many problems were reported throughout the day of voting on Tuesday.
"Turnout was high across the country thanks to voter awareness efforts, and the voting was relatively free of direct political influence on voters," a coalition of civilian, professional and religious observers declared.
It was gathered that a group of people on motorbikes questioned the age of those queuing to vote, some 20kilometres outside the northern capital, Tamale.
This led to arguments and shots were fired, leaving two people dead.
Parts of the north have been tense for the past two years after a traditional king was killed, along with about 40 of his officials.
During campaigning, Kuffuor had set his stall on economic and political stability, while Mills had addressed the major poverty issue in Ghana.
He had assured poor people, who make up 40 per cent of the country's 20 million population, that under his rule they would see more money in their pockets.
But an analyst says it appears that Mills' tactics have failed to undermine Kuffuor's economic reforms.
The majority of people trust him, although in the longer term they will want to see some personal gain in return, the analysts said.
Four years ago, Kuffuor defeated Mills - an election that marked the country's first peaceful and democratic transfer of power since independence from Britain in 1957.
