December 8, 2000
Ofeibea Quist-Arcton
Accra
Early returns in Ghana’s presidential and parliamentary elections on Thursday
are looking positive for the main opposition National Patriotic Party (NPP),
which, with six other parties, is competing for the top job in the country as
well as two hundred seats in parliament.
The results are being collated at the headquarters of the Independent
Electoral Commission in Accra. Final results are expected on Sunday,
seventy-two hours after the poll. Radio stations carrying live updates of the
elections are careful to precede their announcements with the proviso "it’s
early days yet, results of many constituencies have still to come in."
Voting on Thursday was mainly orderly and good-tempered throughout Ghana.
The NPP is headed by John Agyekum Kufuor, an Oxford-trained lawyer and former
businessman, who celebrates his 62nd birthday today. He has campaigned on a
popular platform of 'positive change’, after almost twenty years under the
presidency of Jerry Rawlings, a former air force fighter pilot and erstwhile
coup leader.
Kufuor unsuccessfully challenged Rawlings for the leadership of Ghana during
the 1996 presidential election.
The NPP flagbearer, and other opposition leaders, point to the lamentable
state and mismanagement of the economy, plus corruption in official circles
under Rawlings, 'crimes’ for which the Ghanaian leader had a number of army
officers executed when he first seized power in 1979.
Rawlings has been responsible for two of the five coups d’etat that have
rocked the foundations of independence in Ghana since 1957.
Rawlings’ National Democratic Congress (NDC) fielded the current vice
president, John Atta Mills, as its candidate, running with the slogan 'For
Development and Change'. The constitution of Ghana precludes a third
four-year term for President Rawlings.
Some analysts predicted that the election would be won for the NPP in Brong
Ahafo and the Central Region (the heartland and home region of the NDC
presidential candidate, John Atta Mills, a Fante. John Kufuor is an Ashanti).
Results so far show a swing of support in Brong Ahafo from the NDC to the NPP
and John Kufuor. One voter commented that the region backed Rawlings, the
individual, in the past two elections. "Now Rawlings isn’t standing again,
the Brong feel free to vote for change, without appearing disloyal," he told
me.
President Rawlings, known for his sudden, impassioned outbursts, has been
working hard at bowing out graciously, an admittedly youthful elder statesman
and African leader who has been praised by western governments and other
observers for showing the political maturity to step down in a show of
commitment to democracy.
When he voted on Thursday, Rawlings appealed to Ghanaians to ensure
fraud-free elections and results that everyone would accept and respect. But
there was an edge to his voice when he announced: "Kufuor wants to come into
office, anybody including Professor Mills wants to come into office; we’ll
welcome them provided they do it in a free, genuine and sincere manner."
This echoed the theme of his address to the nation, broadcast on Wednesday
night, on the eve of the general elections when Rawlings announced: "As the
end of my term of office as your president draws nearer, it is my deepest
wish to see my successor, whoever he may be, elected honorably, fairly and
without any rancorous controversy."
At 53, Jerry Rawlings is bowing out at an age when other prospective
presidential candidates around the world are beginning their campaign to lead
their countries. What Rawlings will do after he hands over to his successor
in Ghana on 7 January 2001 is the subject of keen speculation among Ghanaians.
Rawlings, who until recently has avoided the question of his future after the
presidency in interviews, has hinted several times this week that, apart from
continuing to help poor Ghanaians at the grassroots, he is considering a new
career. He said: "One little project that I’m seriously considering is to
take on the battle against these malaria mosquitoes. How I’m going to go
about it, I haven’t quite worked out yet, but I think I’ll need a break
first".
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