IEC Says Vote Counting On Schedule

Ghana's electoral commissioner, Kojo Afari Djan, has reconfirmed that the results from Thursday's presidential and parliamentary poll will be declared on Sunday or, at the very latest, Monday.

The commissioner said the process of tallying votes was moving smoothly and thoroughly.

By late afternoon on Friday, the main opposition National Patriotic Party leader, John Kufuor, who turned 63 today, had taken an early lead in the presidential poll. Provisional results gave him more than 50 per cent, whereas the governing NDC candidate, Vice President John Atta Mills was trailing with less than 40 per cent.

But there are, so far, few declared results from the NDC stronghold of Volta region where President Rawlings and his party traditionally sweep the board. Results are also awaited from the Ashanti region, stamping ground of J.A. Kufuor who is himself an Ashanti.

It is still not clear whether either of the presidential frontrunners, Mills or Kufuor, will win an outright victory in the first round, for which they need 50 per cent. If not, the rules provide for a second round run-off within 14 days.

In the parliamentary poll, Kufuor's NPP has made a strong showing, winning 20 seats away from the NDC, including the constituencies of several ministers, deputy ministers and senior regional government officials.