ACCRA — Ghanaians waited on Sunday for official results to a presidential election that was fraught with technical problems, but which officials hope will still burnish the country's reputation as a pillar of African democracy. A leading local news outlet that was compiling official results credited incumbent John Dramani Mahama with a narrow victory on Sunday, contradicting claims from the party of his top rival, Nana Akufo-Addo. “We have a fair idea what the outcome of the elections will be,” Mahama said at his house in a leafy suburb of the capital Accra. “But as a law-abiding political party, we shall wait for the electoral commission to make an official declaration.” The poll is seen as a test of whether Ghana can maintain 30 years of stability and progress in a region better known for coups, civil wars and corruption. An oil-driven economic boom has brought more wealth but also fears that it could suffer the corruption and instability that often plagues energy-rich developing nations. A cliff-hanger election in 2008, in which Akufo-Addo lost by less than 1 percent, pushed Ghana to the brink of chaos, with initial disputes over results driving hundreds of people into the streets with clubs and machetes. Voting this time was plagued by delays after hundreds of newly-introduced electronic fingerprint readers - used to identify voters - failed on Friday and forced some polling stations to reopen on Saturday to clear the backlog. But the problems were met calmly by the rival parties and ordinary Ghanaians, easing worries of the kind of street violence still common during elections in West Africa. “This election has been hard, but we must remember Ghanaians are one and we must love each other and remain peaceful,” said Wellington Dadzie, 69, a former soldier who lives on the outskirts of the capital Accra. A spokesman for Ghana's election commission was not available to comment Sunday morning, but results are widely expected later Sunday or on Monday. A run-off is possible Dec. 28 if no candidate wins an outright majority. A small group of people gathered outside Mahama's house dusting themselves with white powder in a traditional victory ceremony, while several of his aides tied white handkerchiefs around their wrists. — Reuters
