Tensions mount in Ghana vote
2008-12-30 19:48
Accra - An ever-larger and more vocal crowd of opposition supporters congregated in Accra ahead of the official announcement of the country's new president, with their candidate John Atta-Mills already claiming victory.
By mid-afternoon some 2 000 opposition activists wielding tree branches and sticks and beating drums had gathered outside the headquarters of the Electoral Commission where results are due for release.
The announcement had originally been set for 1200 GMT and is now several hours late but no explanation has been given.
Atta-Mills' supporters, some of whom have been waiting since Monday night, were growing increasingly restless and tempers were flaring as they chanted that they wanted change.
"They are here to register protest because they believe if they are not vigilant their candidate will not get the vote," assistant police commissioner Bright Oduro told AFP at the scene.
Security forces beefed up
He was one of scores of soldiers and police, including riot units, deployed there. In early afternoon the security forces were beefed up further, with more men and two more armoured personnel carriers deployed.
"We are trying to contain the situation. We don't want to use unnecessary force to aggravate the situation," Oduro said.
With 200 of the country's 230 constituencies counted, the commission said Atta-Mills of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had 52.17% of the votes cast, against 47.9% for Nana Akufo-Addo of the ruling New Patriotic Party.
Atta-Mills said there had been an attempt at "manipulation" of the results.
"The figures show clearly that I have won the election. I'm only waiting for the electoral commission to declare me the winner. I've full confidence that the EC will do what is right," Atta-Mills told journalists overnight.
An opposition source alleged that the ruling NPP and a commission member had tried to introduce a fresh set of "bloated" figures from the Ashanti region, an NPP stronghold.
'No doctored results'
The new figures, the source said, showed turnout was higher than initial figures from the same region transmitted earlier Monday.
At an overnight news conference, Atta-Mills said he would not accept doctored results.
"I am not going to accept any fraudulent results from the electoral commission. It is very important that we respect the will of the people and not try to impose anybody to govern Ghanaians," Mills told reporters at his office which was also besieged by dozens of supporters.
The ruling NPP criticised what it said was a premature claim of victory. "It's not over until it's over... by the closeness of this election, anything could happen," national chairman Peter MacManu told journalists.
"While we are also very confident of victory, we have chosen, partly due to the inflamed passions and the closeness of the election, to wait for the electoral commission to do its work," he said.
The presidential election was forced into a run-off after the first round on December 7 failed to produce an outright winner.
Election observers reported more problems and lapses in the December 28 run-off than in the first round, but remained on the whole upbeat about the poll.
Yakubu Gowon, the former Nigerian head of state who leads a West African regional observer team, called the poll "free, peaceful, transparent and credible".