AFP: Ghana's ruling party elects presidential candidate

ACCRA (AFP) - Ghana's ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) Sunday elected a former foreign minister as its candidate for the country's presidential elections in December 2008.

Nana Akuffo Addo, who was foreign minister under current President John Kufuor's administration for five years, was elected at a party congress in Accra at which more than 2000 delegates voted.

He polled 47.9 percent of the total votes cast, beating 16 other aspirants, including vice president Aliu Mahama.

The election should have gone into the second round because Nana Addo did not poll the necessary 50 percent to win straight out. But the man who came second in the contest, former trade minister, Alan Kyeremanteng, conceded defeat.

Nana Addo, 54, is a lawyer and a son of one of Ghana's former presidents, Edward Akuffo. He will face former vice president, John Atta Mills of the main opposition National Democratic Congress as well candidates of other minor parties in the elections.

In his acceptance speech Nana Addo promised to deliver victory for the party that has been in power for the past seven years.

"We have ... one infallible asset and that's the record of governance of our government under the leadership of John Agyekum Kufuor," he said.

"The strong and solid foundation that our economy has received under his mature and skilful guidance will now provide us the platform for the structural transformation of the economy and no longer will we perpetuate the situation whereby we continue to be producers and exporters of raw materials," he added.

Nana Addo also called on his fellow politicians to conduct themselves in a "civilized" fashion during the elctoral campaign and the run up to it.

President John Kufuor, who attended the congress, said the election of a candidate marks the beginning of the end of his tenure and congratulated the man who could succeed him.