Ghana set to vote in presidential, parliamentary polls

By Felix Tih

ANKARA (AA) - Over 17 million Ghanaians are set to cast their ballots on Monday in presidential and parliamentary elections.

The polls will open at 7 a.m. (0700 GMT) and close at 5 p.m. (1700 GMT) to elect the next president for a four-year term and 275 members of parliament.

“We urge all citizens to abide by the law and conduct themselves in a manner that ensures peace reigns during and after the 2020 General Election. Be an agent of peace while exercising your civic responsibility,” the Electoral Commission of Ghana said late Sunday.

Incumbent Nana Akufo-Addo, candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), is running for a second term.

His main rival is former President John Mahama, candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), a party that was formed by former President Jerry John Rawlings, who recently died of COVID-19.

It is the third time that the two men will clash in a presidential election in the West African country.

The first time was in December 2012 when Mahama won in the first round with 50.4% of the votes. In 2016, Akufo-Addo was elected in the first round with 53.8% of the votes.

On Friday, the longtime presidential candidacy rivals signed a peace pact for the respect of the verdict that will come out of the polls.

Ghana is the most peaceful country in West Africa and third on the entire continent, according to the 2020 Global Peace Index Report run by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).

Liberian former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, head of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) election observation mission to Ghana, has urged the Ghana youth to be peace ambassadors and not engage in violent activities.

Sirleaf said Ghana had a record of peace, transparent and credible elections, according to the Ghana News Agency.

The country's electoral commission has put in place thorough COVID-19 protocols to ensure the people's safety during the electoral process, such as face masks, physical distancing, handwashing and hand sanitizers in all polling stations.

Since the first cases in March, the coronavirus has infected more than 52,000 people and killed over 320 in Ghana.