ACCRA: Five people have been shot dead in election violence in Ghana, police said on Wednesday, following a tightly contested race that President Nana Akufo-Addo is tipped to win narrowly.
The deaths mar Ghana’s record of conducting largely peaceful elections in a turbulent region. Commentators had warned of the risk of violence by partisan groups before the election on Monday, when the country also voted for a new parliament.
The Ghanaian Police Service said it had recorded over 60 incidents since the morning of the election, in which Akufo-Addo ran for a second term against his main rival, former President John Mahama, and 10 other candidates.
“Twenty-one of the incidents are true cases of electoral violence, six of which involve gunshots resulting in the death of five,” it said in a statement.
On Wednesday, a large group of Mahama supporters chanted and tooted vuvuzelas, or plastic horns, outside the election commission in the capital Accra, demanding the release of results they believe should he won.
“If they do not declare, we are not going to accept a rigging of the election,” said Mahama voter Kingdom Ahadzi as police in riot gear stood by.
Official results are due to be published later on Wednesday. But one of Ghana’s main private radio stations, Joy FM, has called the election for Akufo-Addo, who was seen as the slight favourite in the run-up to the vote.
The leading candidate has to win over 50% to avoid a second round run-off.
Both parties said on Tuesday their own candidate was in the lead based on unofficial tallies. The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has alternated in power with Mahama’s National Democratic Congress (NDC) since 1992.
The sides agreed last week to resolve any electoral disputes in court and Mahama has since suggested he is considering mounting a challenge.
“We will resist any attempt to subvert the will of the people,” he said on Tuesday.
(Writing by Alessandra Prentice, Editing by Edward McAllister and Timothy Heritage)
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