Ghanaian government threatens to boycott vote

Ghana’s ruling party threatened to boycott a district’s presidential revote today that could decide the African country’s next leader, but there was no indication the vote would be cancelled.

Ruling party spokesman Arthur Kennedy said the situation in the western district of Tain is not conducive to a fair vote because the party’s supporters were being intimidated.

“The election is supposed to be free and fair and as a result, under the current circumstances ... we won’t take part in the election,” Mr Kennedy said.

Voters in the tiny district were unable to vote in a tight runoff because of problems distributing ballots to polling stations there.

The Electoral Commission said the national vote count was so close, Tain could end up deciding the winner.

Opposition candidate John Atta Mills leads by about 23,000 votes out of around nine million cast, election officials said.

There are 53,000 registered voters in Tain – the only of Ghana’s 230 constituencies not yet counted.

Both sides have claimed irregularities in other districts as well, and those claims may be introduced in court and postpone the announcement of a winner.

Electoral officials could not be reached about whether Tain’s revote would go ahead as scheduled. Local television and radio gave no indication of possible violence in the district, where the situation appeared normal.

But the ruling party said the situation in Tain was tense.

Ruling party member and deputy information minister Frank Agyekum said “there is too much intimidation of our supporters” in Tain. Neither he nor Mr Kennedy elaborated on the claim.

Partial results from the Election Commission so far give Mr Atta Mills 50.13% and governing party rival Nana Akufo-Addo 49.87%.

Both 64-year-old lawyers educated in Britain, the candidates are vying to succeed President John Kufuor, who must step down after serving two terms.