Reports from the 10 regions of Ghana indicate that voting on the presidential run-off took off smoothly, without the anticipated rush and long queues, but ended with accusations and counter-accusations between the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National, Democratic Congress (NDC). Many polling stations were empty three hours into the opening of the polls in the regions, and while the NDC alleged that most of its polling agents were denied the opportunity of observing, the elections in the Ashanti and, parts of the Eastern regions, the NPP said its agents were denied the same opportunity in the Volta Region. Kwame Asiedu Marfo reports from Takoradi that there were no long queues at most of the polling stations the Daily Graphic visited between 7 a.m. and 10.30 a.m., leaving some of the electoral officials at the stations virtually on holiday. However, voters were seen trickling in to vote at some of the stations. General comportment of voters was encouraging while most of the polling stations were opened on time. No major incidents were recorded at the time the Daily Graphic visited the polling stations, except at the Collins Avenue Primary School Polling Station in the Takoradi Constituency where the nationality of a voter, Ibrahim Yaaji, was challenged by the NPP agent, Mohammed Abubakar. Ibrahim, alleged to be Nigerien, had his name on the register and had a voters card with registration number 24591844 (EJ) and was allowed to vote, pending the outcome of the challenge. At the Dohome-Adakope-Takoradi Polling Station in the Takoradi Constituency, 210 out of the 1,183 registered voters had cast their votes as at 9a.m. At the Temporary Structure 57B/5 Polling Station, which had 413 registered voters, 114 had voted, while at the Temporary Structure New Accra Station Polling Station in the same constituency, 2 out of the 855 registered voters had cast their votes as of 9:40 a.m. At, the Well Road Primary School Polling Station in the Sekondi Constituency, 119 out of the 529 registered voters had cast their votes, while at the STMA Primary School Dankessim polling station, 336-out of the 987 registered voters had cast their votes as at I0.30a.m. At T/S Court House Polling Station in the same constituency, 300 people out of the 858 registered voters had voted at the time of the visit. Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Presiding Officer at the Well Road Primary School Polling station, Mr. Richard Allen, said the anticipated atmosphere was not what was happening, since there was no rush at the polling station. In Bolgatanga people started queuing as early as 5 a.m. in the chilly harmattan weather and when voting started at 7 a.m. the process was so smooth that people voted early and left the polling centres. When this reporter visited the Junior Staff Quarters (JSQ) Polling Station at 10 a.m., out of the 893 registered voters, 230 had already cast their ballots, with just five people in the queue. At the Plaza Polling Station, as of 10.20 a.m. 269 people had cast their ballots out of the 850 registered voters, with no queue in place but people coming intermittently to cast their ballots, while at the Local Council Offices A Polling Station 174 people had cast their ballots as of 10.30 a.m., out of the 646 registered voters. The story was not different at the Local Council Offices B Polling Station where, out of the 470 registered voters, 117 had cast their ballots as of 10.40 a.m., with polling officials virtually on holiday as voters were not frequenting the place. The long queues that characterised voting in the Kumasi metropolis and its environs on December 7, 2008 were reduced at many polling stations during the run-off yesterday. The problem of where party agents were to sit to effectively monitor the process created confusion at some polling stations in the Kumasi metropolis and its environs, but after the intervention of security personnel and Electoral Commission officials, the problem was addressed. Among the polling stations that experienced that confusion were the Salvation Army School at Suame, Zion School at Asafo, Presby JHS at Bantama and Bantama Palace, but sanity prevailed after the intervention by security personnel on duty and voting proceeded smoothly afterwards. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the NPP and Professor John Evans Atta Mills of the NDC are battling it out to see who becomes the next President of Ghana. While some polling stations at the SSNIT Flats at Asuoyeboah in Kumasi, through Kwadaso, Sofoline, South and North Suntreso, as well as Bantama, Adum, Asafo, Suame, Oforikrom, among others, had long queues early on polling day, many others were very quiet. At the Danyame MA JHS Polling Station, there was no queue and only one middle-aged woman was casting her vote as of 9 a.m. when the Daily Graphic visited the station. Out of about 760 eligible voters, only 115 had exercised their franchise by then. The Presiding Officer, Ms Ama Mensima Eghan, told the Daily Graphic that the polling station was in a high-class residential area in Kumasi and voting had always been very calm and orderly. Her expectation was that eligible voters would troop in later to exercise their franchise. At the Amangoase Polling Station near Agric Junction in Kumasi, there was no queue and only 115 out of the 771 eligible voters had exercised their franchise as of 9.10 a.m. when the Daily Graphic visited. The Presiding Officer, Mr Stephen Obeng, told the Daily Graphic that as of 9.10 a.m. on December 7, 2008 more than 300 eligible voters had exercised their franchise, with many others waiting to cast their ballots. He was optimistic that after church services those who were yet to exercise their franchise would troop in. At the El Shadai Polling Station at Amanfrom in Kumasi, only 220 voters out of the expected 1,200 had exercised their franchise as of 9.15 a.m. The presiding officer was optimistic about a high turnout later in the day, saying that the problem of where party agents were to sit to monitor the process was addressed even before 7 a.m. About 307 out the 1,450 eligible voters had exercised their franchise at the Kokode Temporary Booth Polling Station in Kumasi as of 9.20 a.m. The presiding officer described the exercise as quite slow, compared with the December 7, 2008 elections. He described the party agents as very co-operative since the exercise started at 7 a.m. and he was full of hope that it would end peacefully to enable the more popular candidate to emerge as President. At the Agric Nsema MA JHS 1 Polling Station, Mrs Agnes Oteng Mensah, the Presiding Officer, could not explain the low turnout compared to the December 7 general election. She said notwithstanding a public announcement that the electoral process was in progress, response had not been all that encouraging and expressed the hope that all eligible voters would turn out later in the day to exercise their franchise. Voters were apparently relaxed in communities along the Ho-Denu–Aflao highway as there were no long queues at polling stations visited, except Wudoaba in the Ketu North Constituency. Areas visited included Ziope, Atanve, Amule, Akwete, Kpeduhoe, Ave-Dakpa, Ave-Afiadenyigba, Xevi, Tsiaveme, Dzodze, Penyi, Aflao, Avoeme and the Denu Police Station. There were election observers from the Pan-African Parliament, CODEO and other agencies accredited by the EC. Source: Daily Graphic