As Economy Prospers, Ghana Holds Presidential Vote
Voting for a new president and parliament in Ghana has been extended into a second day, because of glitches with the new electronic voter verification system.
Ghana has gained an enviable reputation, in its often turbulent West African neighborhood, as being something of an oasis of stability – despite tensions in the build-up to the vote.
The unofficial 2012 election campaign theme in Ghana was peace. Musicians from the local labor union composed special songs and the politicians seeking election or re-election publicly committed to peace.
"Ghana has been peaceful anytime we have elections, but violence has cropped up," says Bice Osei Koffour, who heads Ghana's musicians' union. "So, you need to work on it constantly; keep reminding people about the need for peace, the need for tolerance."
Ghana has had five elections, and two peaceful transfers of power, under its belt since the end of military rule in 1992. President Obama has praised Ghana as a "model of democracy" in Africa because, despite heightened tension, it stepped back from the brink in a very close presidential race in 2008.
Enlarge Gabriela Barnuevo/AP
Lines were long at many polling stations in Ghana. Here a woman votes in the capital Accra.