International observers endorsed Ghana’s presidential and parliamentary polls despite delays at polling stations that pushed voting into a second day Saturday. “All of Africa was looking at Ghana to make sure that they live up to their reputation and their name of being a mature democracy,” said Ahmed Issak Hassan, head of an observer mission from the South Africa-based Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa. “I think so far the people of Ghana, the political leadership have lived up to that expectation.
“The people of Ghana and the leadership need to be commended,” he said in a preliminary assessment of the election, which was still underway Saturday afternoon. Hassan is also the chairman of Kenya’s electoral commission.
Polls show that a very tight race with voters almost evenly split between President John Dramani Mahama and his main challenger, Nana Akufo-Addo.
Final results are supposed to be announced within 72 hours of the end of voting according to Ghanaian law, although some constituencies have already declared who won in their precincts.
Full Article: Ghana: 2nd day of voting due to technical hitches – Houston Chronicle.