Ghana votes in tight election

Voters across Ghana headed for the polls 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 p.m., 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.

Read more: Ghana election 2020: Checking President Akufo-Addo's promises

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.

"My expectation is that the work the government has done in these four years will find favor with the Ghanaian people today and that our mandate will be renewed," Akufo-Addo said after voting in his eastern hometown of Kyebi.

Mahama, voting in his northern hometown of Bole, said that the election has been "smooth so far."

A survey by the University of Ghana taken in November showed Akufo-Addo ahead with a razor-thin 51.7% of support, according to the AFP news agency.

Read more: Opinion: Ghana's election — between a crocodile and an alligator

Economic woes

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.

Read more: EU is silent on West Africa's political crises

An example of African democracy

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.

"The entire world is looking up to us to maintain our status as a beacon of democracy, peace, and stability," Akufo-Addo said Sunday.

The two candidates signed a symbolic pact Friday, promising to resolve any electoral disputes in court, following fears of post-election tension in the close contest. More than 60,000 security personnel were dispatched to maintain order at polling stations.

Disputed elections this year in nearby Guinea and  Ivory Coast resulted in deadly violence after leaders held onto power for third terms by changing constitutional rules, a move bitterly opposed by opposition groups in both countries.

"We don't go to places where democracy is fake, where it's a theater," EU election observer Javier Nart told AFP Monday at a polling station in Accra.

In Ghana, "it's not the Kalashnikov that commands, it is the ballot box," he added.

wmr/msh  (AFP, Reuters, dpa, AP)