Ghana’s celebrated 16-year maturity at the polls has been handed a debilitating blot in a bitterly contested presidential runoff. Sporadic reports of voting irregularities across the country have attended the Presidential Election Runoff Sunday, and the two contesting parties have served notice they may not accept poll results from strongholds of their opponents. Voting started at 7am and closed at 5pm. The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) in a preliminary report, cited several infractions of rules and regulations governing the poll, while Joy FM reporters covering the event have also reported instances of arrests of persons attempting to snatch ballot boxes, or attempting to vote serially. Security forces have also been reported to have intimidated voters, and in some instances beaten up suspected wrong doers. Among other disturbing incidents, CODEO reported that its observers deployed nationwide witnessed the following; “

• A total of 24 cases of disorder at polling stations in Eastern, Ashanti, Central, and Greater Accra regions;
• 12 cases of intimidation and harassment particularly in Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern regions;
• 14 cases of violence mainly in Ashanti, Eastern, Brong Ahafo and Central regions;
• 6 cases of violation of voting procedures largely in Ashanti and Northern regions;
• A few cases of polling officials were suspected to be partisan; disenfranchising of eligible voters; allowing ineligible voters to vote; suspension of voting, and snatching and stuffing of ballot boxes.

“For instance, suspension of polls had been reported in some parts of Brong Ahafo (Tain constituency), Central (Methodist Church/Town Saltpond polling station in the Mfantseman West constituency, CPB Amantsiaa Abaasa polling station in the Ajumako/Enyan/Esiam constituency ) and Eastern regions (L A JSS Anyankode Awukugua polling station in the Okere constituency). An observer also reported suspension of polls at Oblogo in Weija constituency in the Greater Accra region. As reported in our December 7 press statement, voters in Temp Booth Chalator polling station in Kpandai constituency in the Northern region once again refused to vote.” Reports of intimidation, assault and battery, ballot box snatching, as well as double voting were particularly rampant in the Ashanti and Volta Regions. The developments would come as a sad turn of events for a country which only a fortnight ago, pulled off a splendid test case for a continent bleeding from chaotic elections. Other election observers are due to pass preliminary comments on the turn of events, and the Electoral Commission had prior to the elections, promised it would declare official results in 48 hours. A winner will have to emerge between Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party and Prof. John Evans Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress. Whoever wins majority of votes becomes Ghana’s next president after the retiring President John Agyekum Kufuor. The December 7 general poll that also elected parliamentary candidates, failed to elect a winner for the presidency as neither of the two candidates, nor six others that contested the position polled the required 50 per cent and more votes. Story by Isaac Yeboah