As the deadline for the release of Ghana's election results approached on Wednesday, the main presidential contenders were still running neck-and-neck.

Statistics released by the Electoral Commission of Ghana at 10pm on Tuesday showed that with votes in from 211 of the country's 230 constituencies, the candidate for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo, had 49.3 percent of valid votes.

John Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of former ruler Jerry Rawlings had 47.8 percent.

A candidate needs 50 percent plus one of valid votes cast to win the presidential election outright and avoid a second-round run-off.

In parliamentary elections, the NDC was doing better than the ruling party – according to a compilation of results by the African Elections Project in Accra, on Wednesday morning the NDC had 68 seats compared to the NPP's 54.

Electoral law requires the commission to announce the results of last Sunday's presidential and parliamentary elections by 5pm Wednesday, Ghanaian time.

The electoral commission's Tuesday night report said 7.9 million valid votes had been cast, totalling 64.9 percent of registered voters.