Ghana president, longtime opposition leader face off in vote

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Ghanaians also will elect members of parliament to serve in the country’s 275 constituencies.

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The elections are expected to be a referendum on the incumbent party’s last eight years in power and its handling of the economy, which has been dogged by a decline in global commodity prices and perceived economic mismanagement and corruption. The opposition has exploited high unemployment levels and underperforming GDP growth rates in an effort to appeal to frustrated Ghanaians.

Mahama has defended his record, campaigning on plans to boost economic growth and continue modest gains in infrastructure development. A change in government, he says, would reverse the progress made during the last four years.

Harrison Dogbe, a Mahama supporter, said the current government needs another four years to consolidate gains.

“The sitting president is doing well but he needs the support to continue with his good work,” said Dogbe, 29-year-old architect in Accra. “He’s done well with our infrastructure, school buildings, hospitals, roads and many other things.”

During early voting on Dec. 1, thousands of names were missing from voting lists, sparking renewed concerns over the preparedness of the electoral commission. Although the commission reassured the public it was doing everything in its power to rectify the problems, many Ghanaians still remained skeptical as they waited in line to vote.

Samuel Marcells, a pastor, said the commission has to hold near-perfect elections to regain his trust. During the campaign, 13 presidential aspirants were disqualified for not filling out their nomination forms properly. Although the candidates were given an opportunity to revise their forms, many voters questioned the commission’s motives.

“If you create the atmosphere of suspicion, I cannot trust you,” Marcells told The Associated Press after voting in the upscale Accra neighbourhood of Cantonments. “There are still a lot of questions.”

To ensure the vote is free and fair, thousands of domestic and foreign election observers have been deployed at the nearly 29,000 polling stations across the country.

Brennan Weiss, The Associated Press