Ghana waits for election results as rival parties claim win

Record ID: 76545

  • Title: Ghana waits for election results as rival parties claim win
  • Date: 9th December 2016
  • Summary: ACCRA, GHANA (DECEMBER 9, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE STANDING AND READING NEWSPAPERS AT NEWS STAND NEWSPAPERS ON DISPLAY MAN READING NEWSPAPER HEADLINE READING (English): "SHOCKS GALORE! ...NDC BIG SHOTS FALL" MEN LOOKING AT NEWSPAPERS NEWSPAPERS NEWSPAPER HEADLINE SHOWING GHANA OPPOSITION LEADER NANA AKUFO-ADDO TRYING TO PUSH PRESIDENT JOHN MAHAMA OUT OF CHAIR / HEADLINE READING (English): "GHANA ELECTIONS 2016 / A TIGHT FIGHT" NEWSPAPERS ON DISPLAY (SOUNDBITE) (English) VOTER, BRUSE BERNARD, SAYING: "I'm not that worried and as you can see, everybody, we are very calm and we are waiting for the EC (Electoral Commission) to come out. All that we need is to be credible and transparent. Even though the two parties are in a tight corner, it's up to the EC to bring something transparent for people. If it is clear it should be, it shouldn't go about. But it should mention the credible results." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE READING NEWSPAPERS ON DISPLAY (SOUNDBITE) (English) VOTER, FRANCIS NII BEKOE, SAYING: "The Electoral Commission is what caused the election, and anything is up to the Electoral Commission to see to it that everything is in order before it can declare the results. No individuals or any party can call the result." VARIOUS OF STREET / TRAFFIC STREET WITH OPPOSITION NPP (NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY) FLAGS HANGING FROM ABOVE PEOPLE WALKING IN STREET (SOUNDBITE) (English) VOTER, SAMUEL MARTEY, SAYING: "It has created a lot of tension because everybody, everybody just want how the result would go about. Is it the NPP and then the NDC people? Most of them are worried. Even when you are in the car you see a lot of conversation about them telling you that they are worried. NDC say it won, NPP say it won. So it create a lot of tension in the town. So I'm hoping by the end of the day, we will see who is going to win the election." HIGHWAY STREET
  • Embargoed: 24th December 2016 13:45
  • Keywords: Ghana Accra election John Mahama Nana Akufo-Addo NPP NDC
  • Location: ACCRA, GHANA
  • City: ACCRA, GHANA
  • Country: Ghana
  • Reuters ID: LVA0015C5WSAV
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Ghanaians in the capital Accra said on Friday (December 9, 2016) they were eager for the country's Electoral Commission to officially announce the results of the presidential election. Two influential private radio stations say opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo has already won the vote.
    Private Joy FM and Citi FM radio stations said on Friday that Akufo-Addo had won the election with an absolute majority over President John Mahama.
    The two stations based their projections on results from Wednesday's election given at the constituency level ahead of an official final tally that the electoral commissioner said would likely be announced by Saturday.
    Joy FM's website showed Akufo-Addo winning with 53 percent of the vote and Mahama on 45.2 percent, based on a count of 218 constituencies out of 275 in total. Citi FM gave Akufo-Addo 54.8 percent based on 190 constituencies.
    One voter called for the EC to be credible and transparent when releasing the results.
    "Even though the two parties are in a tight corner, it's up to the EC to bring something transparent for people," said Bruse Bernard.
    In his first comment since the election, Mahama said on Twitter on Friday he would wait for official results, in a seemingly softer tone from Thursday when a senior member of his National Democratic Congress (NDC) camp said Mahama was ahead.
    If confirmed, it would be a bigger victory than recent presidential elections.
    Akufo-Addo said on Thursday he was "quietly confident" of victory and his party had also picked up 49 seats in parliament to give it a majority.
    Ghana's record of peaceful elections since 1992 and regular changes of government through the ballot box stands as a beacon in the region.
    Mahama fought the election against the backdrop of an economy that has slowed since he took power in 2013, in part because of lower global prices for the West African country's exports of gold, oil and cocoa.
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