EC to announce winner of Ghana Election 2008

The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana would today January 3, 2009 announce the winner of the longest, tense and hotly fought presidential election in the history of Ghana.

The election which started December 7, 2008 did not throw up a clear winner even though, the candidate of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) Nana Akufo-Addo lead the pack of eight presidential candidates with 4,164,349 of valid votes cast representing 49.04 % of ballots.

Prof. John Atta Mills came second with 4,074,468 of valid votes cast representing 47.98 % of the ballots necessitating a run-off between the two. The run-off on December 28, 2008 also did not produce a winner even though, this time Prof. Mills went ahead of Nana Addo. The provisional results from 229 of the 230 constituencies put him ahead with 4,501,466 votes representing 50.13% of valid votes cast and Nana Akufo-Addo of the NPP garnered 4,478,411 representing 49.87% of the votes.

The remaining constituency of Tain which could not vote in the run-off on December 28, 2008 due to what the EC says was “circumstances beyond our control” became the decider in a historic election in Ghana’s democratic dispensation started in 1992.

The election went ahead smoothly Friday January 2, 2009 despite an initial court action by the NPP to thwart it and a boycott by the party in the final hours of campaigning on Thursday January 1, 2009.

The votes in Tain clearly showed Prof. Mills ahead of Nana Addo. It is now a foregone conclusion that the winner as widely expected of the cliffhanger election is Prof. John Evans Atta Mills of the NDC.
Prof. Mills garnered 19,566 of the votes and Nana Addo polled 2,035, even though the  NPP called on its supporters to stay away from voting.

The government has said it has been preparing for a smooth transition since May 2008 and hopefully, on January 7, 2009 Ghana shall have a new president.

By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi