Accra: Voters across Ghana headed for the polls on Monday in presidential and legislative elections, with the incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo and opponent John Mahama offering competing plans to rescue the pandemic-hit economy. The poles closed at 5 pm and there were no reports of disruptions. The electoral commission is expected to announce the outcome within 72 hours.
Up to 17 million Ghanaians were registered to cast ballots at 38,000 polling stations across the country. Along with presidential candidates, voters were also charged with selecting 275 lawmakers out of 914 candidates for parliament.
Veterans face off
Although 10 other candidates are seeking the presidency, the contest has focused on the two political heavyweights, Akufo-Addo, 76, and Mahama, 62, who have faced off twice before for Ghana's highest office. Akufo-Addo won in 2016, replacing Mahama who won office in 2012.
If either wins, which is expected, it would be for a second and final term under Ghana's constitutional term limits. A survey by the University of Ghana taken in November showed Akufo-Addo ahead with a razor-thin 51.7% of support. Ghana has advanced economically in recent decades, however, the coronavirus pandemic hit Ghana's key exports of oil and cocoa. The jolt has led to Ghana's first quarterly economic contraction in decades, with growth expected to fall to 0.9%, according to the International Monetary Fund.
Akufo-Addo has promised a $17-billion recovery program aimed at job creation. Mahama's plan is to boost the economy with a $10-billion infrastructure plan. Ghana is widely considered to be a bastion of political stability in West Africa, and has held peaceful and transparent elections for nearly two decades.
