General News
Ghana's President Wins Slim Battle
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- Details
- Published on Tuesday, 11 December 2012 07:54
- Written by The News
...But Opposition Threatens Legal Action
John Dramani Mahama of Ghana has been elected President in Friday's election.
He won 50.70 percent of the votes ahead of the main opposition leader Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who collected 47.74 percent of valid votes.
The election, entirely a two-horse race, was difficult to predict because the votes were swinging every now and then. Although President Mahama had predicted that he would have won a one shot deal, however, the results were not known until late Saturday night.
Ghana's Electoral Commission Chairman Dr Afari Djan declared the current president winner of the strongly contested election at the end of vote count.
However, the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) staged a boycott of the official announcement of election results, alleging fraud and abuse of the electoral process.
The party said it is considering legal action to cancel President John Mahama's victory in Friday's sternly contested polls.
The Chairman of the main opposition NPP, Mr. Jake Obetsebi Lamptey said the party would decide on Tuesday whether there was overwhelming evidence to prove the result had been manipulated.
However, hours before the votes were announced Saturday by the EC, a hearing was heard but the NPP could not prove its case.
Bitter about the results, the NPP said it would take its complaint to the constitutional court. On the day the results were announced, supporters of the opposition NPP attempted to besiege the EC headquarters, but riot police backed by Ghanaian military moved in to disperse the crowd.
In his victory speech, President Mahama called on political parties (including the NPP) to respect the outcome of the polls.
He said the victory was not about him, but that the country has won and shown to the world that it has a mature democracy.
"I want to say that all Ghanaians have won and I want to call on all leaders of political parties that participated in this election to respect the voice of the people. The voice of the people is the voice of God," he said.
The Ghanaian leader said he accepts the trust reposed in him and the responsibility to serve the nation in all humility and will discharge his duties in the best interest of Ghana.
President Mahama: "I also wish to call on all supporters to exercise restraint in celebration. We must celebrate together as Ghanaians and let's refrain from any acts that will disturb the peace and order that this country continues to enjoy. I want to thank you very much and to say that I'm overwhelmed. Thank you."
Meanwhile, the ruling NDC also won bulk of the seats in a 275-seat parliament ahead of the NPP. President Mahama will be sworn into office on January 7, 2013 to begin an oficial four-year term.
