ACCRA, Ghana — Ghana’s presidential contest heads to a runoff today, a race that has become a referendum on whether the West African country’s stunning growth of the past eight years has trickled down to ordinary people.
Neither the ruling party nor the opposition secured enough votes on Dec. 7 to win the presidential election outright in one of the continent’s few stable democracies. The two parties have traded accusations of possible rigging.
Nana Akufo-Addo of the ruling New Patriotic Party received 49.13 percent in the first round. Opposition candidate John Atta Mills campaigned on a platform of change, arguing that the country’s growth has not been felt in people’s wallets. He received 47.92 percent.
The two were among eight candidates seeking to succeed President John Kufuor, who is stepping down after two terms, as required by law.
About 5,000 security personnel have been deployed across the country. National Security coordinator Sam Amoo said the aim was to “forestall some of the unpleasant experiences” of the first vote.
