Africa hails Ghana election as democratic success
ACCRA: Ghana's largely peaceful and credible presidential election
was a rare example of a functioning democracy in Africa and should be a
model for the continent, African leaders, voters and diplomats said on
Sunday.
Much attention in Africa and elsewhere was focused on the Ghanaian
vote after a year of political crises, many of them violent, tarnished
Africa's democratic credentials.
Opposition candidate John Atta Mills was declared the winner on
Saturday after the closely fought election in the gold and cocoa
exporter was settled by a run-off.
"John Atta Mills' victory and the conduct of the people of Ghana
provides a rare example of democracy at work in Africa," Kenya's prime
minister Raila Odinga said in a statement. While some violence was
reported, international observers say the vote was mostly peaceful, in
contrast with many other African countries, where democracy was battered
in 2008.
More than 1,000 people were killed in post-election violence in Kenya
last year and in Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader
Morgan Tsvangirai have been deadlocked for months over a power-sharing
agreement after disputed elections.
"Ghanaians can and should take pride in this democratic achievement.
With their continuing show of commitment to the democratic process,
Ghana and its leaders are setting an admirable example," U.N.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement.
Mauritania's first freely elected leader was overthrown in a military
coup in August and army officers in Guinea took power after the death of
President Lansana Conte in December.
South Africa, is likely to go to the polls in March in what analysts
expect will be its most tense vote since the end of apartheid in 1994,
after a power struggle split the ruling African National Congress last
year.
"(The Ghanaian election) bears testimony to the respect for democracy
and good governance in Africa," South African President Kgalema
Motlanthe said. "The people of Ghana ... have through the ballot paper
showed their appreciation for democracy," he said in a statement.
Ghana's neighbour and fellow cocoa producer Ivory Coast again
postponed presidential elections last year and analysts say they are
unlikely to be held before the end of 2009 due to delays in disarmament
and voter registration.
"In this country, elections are always held in chaos, and it's the
strongest who wins," said taxi driver Alpha Kante in Abidjan. "If
Ghanaians have voted for a new president without making a fuss, it's
good, and we must try to do the same."
Nigeria, whose presidential election result was upheld last month
after a legal challenge from defeated candidates, said the Ghanaian
experience should be replicated in nearby countries.
"I hope and pray that the spirit with which the election has been
fought and won will be nurtured and promoted not only in Ghana, but also
in West Africa," said Musiliu Obanikoro, Nigeria's High Commissioner to
Ghana.
Britain's Baroness Valerie Amos, who led an election monotoring group
from the Commonwealth, which includes several African states, said the
electoral process was generally credible, while ordinary Ghanaians also
hailed the vote.#
"The election shows that Ghana is a shining example of democracy on a
continent that is struggling to get recognition," said Richard Nunoo, a
mechanic in the capital Accra.
Monday, Reuters
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