Accra — The people of Ghana have been voting today to end two decades under President Jerry John Rawlings' rule. More than half-way through the vote, turnout was reported high in the capital, Accra, and throughout the country.
The outgoing Ghanaian leader voted mid-morning at a polling station behind Osu Castle, which is the seat of government and the home of President Rawlings, whose wife Nana Konadu and family live elsewhere in Accra.
After casting his vote, to loud applause from enthusiastic onlookers, Rawlings addressed waiting journalists and supporters, reiterating his appeal on the eve of the election that fellow Ghanaians should vote with dignity and in peace.
Rawlings said he would be flying around the country in a helicopter to observe voting and "see if there were any skirmishes" before reporting back.
Asked about his future after stepping down, Rawlings repeated that he would like to get involved in trying to eradicate malaria, once he had had taken a break .
Questioned on why he did not join the fight against AIDS in Africa, once he steps down, Rawlings said malaria was still the number one killer of people, including children, on the continent and there was a cure. He said he wanted to concentrate his attention on malaria because it was a preventable and treatable disease and there was not yet a cure for AIDS
In vintage Rawlings style, the presidents gravelly and passionate voice broke into an angry diatribe against anyone who might want to cheat during the elections, warning them against any such attempt.
By mid-afternoon only a handful of irregularities had been reported. A few people were said to have tried to vote more than once and others, reported not to be Ghanaians, were prevented from casting their ballot.
Voting has been mainly calm and organised in Ghana, with voters in long queues in some areas showing patience and humour, despite late starts at some polling stations, the absence or dearth of indelible ink (from India) in some cases and even missing presiding officers, other electoral officials and ballot boxes in others. A few cases of intimidation were reported, despite the presence of police at voting centres.
In one bizarre incident in Accra, a local radio station reported that a lone gunman held up voters at one polling station for an hour. There is still confusion about who he was, but the man said that he would not allow voting to begin unless there was a policeman present, leading to speculation that he was himself from the security services.
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Long queues formed at some voting centres long before the polls opened at 7am local time (and GMT. Voting ends at 17h GMT). Reporters noticed the high attendance of women and the elderly, with a generally impressive turnout.
After a controversial Supreme Court ruling earlier this week authorising thumb print identity documents to be used, rather than the photo ID cards approved and promoted by the independent electoral commission, journalists noted that voters were freely using both.
Ghanaians have a choice of seven presidential candidates, who could replace Rawlings, including the current vice-president and Rawlings protégé, John Atta Mills, and the main opposition contender, John Kufuor of the New Patriotic Party.
Kufuor and his wife Aba Theresa also voted in the morning. Other presidential candidates also cast their ballots by lunchtime, when lines in some areas of Accra thinned considerably as Ghanaians headed home to eat.
Thursday is not a public holiday in Ghana, but many people appear to have taken the day off and traffic is light on roads around the capital.
The contest for the presidency is likely to be tight and analysts are predicting there will have to be a second,run-off round of voting.
Voters are also choosing the men and women who will make up the new parliament in Ghana, currently dominated by President Rawlings National Democratic Congress (NDC).
