Ghana votes amid hopes for better economic times

7/12/2024 18:07

Ghana held a presidential and parliamentary election on Saturday amid hopes for an economic revival after the worst financial crisis in a generation, which led to a major debt default in the West African nation.



President Nana Akufo-Addo is stepping down next month after serving the two terms allowed by the constitution in Ghana, the world's second-largest cocoa producer and a significant gold producer.



Twelve candidates are vying to succeed him, but the race is seen as primarily between Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, chosen successor of Akufo-Addo's New Patriotic Party (NPP), and former President John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).



Opinion polls have tipped Mahama, who served as president from 2012 to 2016, for a potential comeback.



Polling stations opened at 0700 GMT and are expected to close at 1700 GMT. Some provisional legislative results were expected by Saturday night and Sunday, while the presidential outcome is expected by Tuesday, although trends often allow an early prediction.



In Accra's historic Jamestown neighbourhood, Comfort Saaquah Aidoo, a 68-year-old small trader, was among the first in line to cast her ballot.