GHANA: Top US diplomat for Africa calls Ghana a beacon of democracy on the continent and comments on the situation in Guinea and Mauritania

Record ID: 455409

  • Title: GHANA: Top US diplomat for Africa calls Ghana a beacon of democracy on the continent and comments on the situation in Guinea and Mauritania
  • Date: 30th December 2008
  • Summary: ACCRA, GHANA (DECEMBER 28, 2008) (REUTERS) VOTERS CASTING BALLOTS EUROPEAN UNION OBSERVERS AT POLLING STATION WIDE OF OUTDOOR POLLING STATION, VOTERS IN QUEUE VOTERS SEATED IN QUEUE VOTER'S IDENTITY CARD MORE OF VOTERS SEATED VARIOUS OF JENDAYI FRAZER, U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR AFRICAN AFFAIRS, SITTING (SOUNDBITE) (English) JENDAYI FRAZER, U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR AFRICAN AFFAIRS, SAYING: "Ghana again has been such a strong example of progress in Africa, both in terms of the strength of the economy, the growth of the economy, good seven percent GDP growth rate, the success of democratic elections, and the fact that President Kufuor is respecting term limits, there are so many countries across Africa where the presidents are trying to stay on for life." WIDE OF VOTERS IN QUEUE MALE VOTER CASTING BALLOT (SOUNDBITE) (English) JENDAYI FRAZER, U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR AFRICAN AFFAIRS, SAYING: "Ghana has had successful successive elections, and is in fact considered one of the more stable democracies in the region. When you compare that to Guinea where you have essentially a president that clung to power until he died in office, you see the results of that which is undoubtedly that there is a coup d'etat in that country. So it is very clear the difference between countries that allow the population to decide the leadership and leaders who respect the constitution versus those countries that do not." BALLOT BEING CAST FEMALE VOTER CASTING BALLOT (SOUNDBITE) (English) JENDAYI FRAZER, U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR AFRICAN AFFAIRS, SAYING: "We will not lift sanctions against Mauritania until there is a return to democracy and they should not have arrested the President in the first place. It was an illegal act. So they can't really very much be rewarded as such for ending what was in fact a legal (government), and the fact that there is still military rule in that country, we have an obligation legally to put sanctions on the Mauritanian government." VARIOUS TRAFFIC
  • Embargoed: 14th January 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Ghana
  • Country: Ghana
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVAWBD3UR2CCF2N1Q4BARCWEIU1
  • Story Text: Ghanaians voted to choose their president on Sunday (December 29) in a close election run-off.
    The heated presidential contest pitted Nana Akufo-Addo, of the previously ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), against the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC)'s John Atta Mills, after neither managed an outright win three weeks ago.
    Counting is underway but full results are not expected before Tuesday at the earliest. Local media said turnout had appeared to be lower than the inconclusive December 7 first round.
    Some analysts said a turnout higher than the 70 percent recorded in the first round could favour the NPP's Akufo-Addo, while a lower turnout -- traditional in second rounds -- could boost the chances of the NDC's Mills.
    A domestic election observer coalition, CODEO, reported cases of disorder, intimidation and even violence in several regions, but a senior police officer said none had been serious enough to close a polling station in the 230 constituencies.
    The Ghana run-off vote came at the end of what some see as a difficult year for constitutional democracy in Africa, tarnished by flawed elections in Kenya and Zimbabwe and military coups, in Mauritania in August, and in Guinea over the last week.

    "Ghana again has been such a strong example of progress in Africa, both in terms of the strength of the economy, the growth of the economy, good seven percent GDP growth rate, the success of democratic elections, and the fact that President Kufuor is respecting term limits, there are so many countries across Africa where the presidents are trying to stay on for life," the top U.S. diplomat for Africa, Jendayi Frazer, told Reuters in an interview in Accra.
    Frazer noted that while Ghanaians had voted to choose a successor to President John Kufuor, who was stepping down after two terms in line with the constitution, Guinea's President Lansana Conte, who died on December 22, had remained in power for 24 years. Guinean military officers seized control after his death.

    "Ghana has had successful successive elections, and is in fact considered one of the more stable democracies in the region. When you compare that to Guinea where you have essentially a president that clung to power until he died in office, you see the results of that which is undoubtedly that there is a coup d'etat in that country. So it is very clear the difference between countries that allow the population to decide the leadership and leaders who respect the constitution versus those countries that do not,"
    Frazer said.
    Frazer also discussed the situation in Mauritania where the ruling military junta freed the country's ousted president Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi from house arrest on December 21.
    The United States has said it would axe trade benefits for Mauritania as of January 1 in response to the August 6 coup. Washington has cut back military and non-humanitarian aid since the coup and banned junta members from entering the United States.

    "We will not lift sanctions against Mauritania until there is a return to democracy and they should not have arrested the President in the first place. It was an illegal act. So they can't really very much be rewarded as such for ending what was in fact a legal (government), and the fact that there is still military rule in that country, we have an obligation legally to put sanctions on the Mauritanian government," Frazer added.
    Both presidential contenders are foreign-trained lawyers and both are
    They have vowed to maintain the stability and growth which have made the former British Gold Coast colony a recent favourite of investors on the continent.
    Ghana is already the world's No. 2 cocoa grower and the second largest gold producer in Africa, and is preparing to start commercial oil output in late 2010.
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