- Title: GHANA: Voters react to announcement of a December 28 election run-off
- Date: 12th December 2008
- Summary: NEWSPAPER STAND NEWSPAPER HEADLINE READING (in English): "IT'S A RUN-OFF" PEOPLE READING NEWSPAPER HEADLINES NEWSPAPER HEADLINE READING (in English): "NPP, NDC BEATEN"
- Embargoed: 27th December 2008 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Ghana
- Country: Ghana
- Topics: Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA8WZCSGZB1TI6J57LWDYFNOH88
- Story Text: As Ghana prepares for a presidential run-off on December 28, opinions among residents in the capital, Accra differ on the decision.
Neither of the two leading candidates won over half the vote in the first round, the country's electoral commission said on Wednesday (December 10).
The commission said it was still processing parliamentary results from Sunday's (December 7) vote in the West African state, which was praised by observers as free and fair and a tribute to Ghana's healthy democracy on a continent convulsed by poll disputes.
Some people said the decision to have a run-off was not unexpected and the election was too close to call.
"So far, the election has been very peaceful. Initially we anticipated one political party was going to win, but looking at the results yesterday, we realised there was going to be a run-off," said Mary Jagri, a legal secretary.
Electoral commission chief Kwadwo Afari-Gyan said neither of the two presidential frontrunners, Nana Akufo-Addo of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and John Atta Mills of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), gained the 50 percent plus one votes required to win outright in the first round.
Still, some NPP supporters like Agness Agyei say their party should have won the election and there is no need for a run-off.
"I think they should have given it to NPP. There is no need with this second round," said Agness Agyei, who works in sales.
Broadcast journalist Frank Heymann, however, believes the run-off demonstrates the democratic progress made in Ghana.
"Ghanaians cannot be taken for granted and Ghanaians are becoming more savvy and discerning as well. You can see that in the run up to the elections, Ghanaians have shown that they cannot be bought or their conscience cannot be undermined. I am pretty happy that we are going for a run-off. What it means is that the politicians will have to repackage their message,"
Heymann said.
Ghana's fifth set of elections since embracing multi-party democracy in 1992 has drawn attention as a chance to prove an African state can hold credible ballots, after election-related violence this year in Kenya, Zimbabwe and Nigeria.
Some isolated incidents of violence were reported but foreign observer teams from the United States, Europe and Africa hailed the Ghana polls as orderly, fair and transparent. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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