Presidential poll: Voting ends in Ghana, results trickle in

Ghanaians voted in elections on Saturday with frontrunners vice president Mahamudu Bawumia and opposition ex-president John Mahama facing off in a closely fought race.

Voting opened at 0700 GMT and closed at 1700 GMT on Saturday, with early results expected on Sunday and full results for the presidential election expected by Tuesday.

Members of parliament were also being voted for on Saturday.

Some 18.7 million people were registered to vote in the West African country hit by one of the worst economic crises in a generation.

Ghana’s struggling economy emerged as the dominant electoral issue after the West Africa gold and cacao producer went through a debt default, high inflation and negotiations for a $3 billion IMF bailout.

Mahama comeback?

Opinion polls point at a potential comeback for Mahama. A local research company, Global InfoAnalytics says he is projected to get 52.2% of the vote, followed by Bawumia, with 41.4%.

After voting in the town of Bole in northern Ghana, Mahama praised the smooth election process and expressed confidence in his own victory.

“In other elections, it had not been clear,” he told reporters. “But (during) this election everyone sees where it is heading.”

Ghana’s government temporarily closed all land borders on Friday night through Sunday to “ensure the integrity” of the vote, an interior ministry statement said.

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