From: barnhart@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS:GHANA: LONG QUEUES AS VOTERS TURN UP FOR ELECTIONS
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 02:05:48 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: GHANA: LONG QUEUES AS VOTERS TURN UP FOR ELECTIONS


accra, nov 3 (ips) -- thousands of ghanaians tuesday turned up
from around 5 am at polling booths all over the country to cast
votes in the west african nation's first presidential elections
in 13 years.

driving through nima, one of the poorest and most densely
populated areas in accra, one could see long queues of people
standing peacefully side by side waiting for their turn to vote.

although there are five presidential candidates, observers
said the presidential race was between the incumbent 45-year-old
retired airforce pilot, jerry rawlings and 61-year-old history
professor albert adu-boahen.

a number of limited polls conducted here have predicted that
ghana's 8.2 milion electorate will choose adu-boahen by a wide
margin.

but rawlings has a strong following among the poor, the urban
youth, and traders that have benefited from his economic
reforms. he also attracts many of the rural poor grateful for
the development projects introduced by his regime.

other points in rawlings' favour include his reputation as a
tough no-nonsense head of state known for his personal probity
-- although members of his cabinet are rumoured to be not so
clean -- and a record of economic recovery since he seized power
in a coup 11 years ago.

but critics say rawlings's campaign has made large scale use
of state funds, misinformation, and dirty tricks.

in accra ips visited nima, a ghetto of around 75,000
inhabitants many of them from ghana's muslim north and some from
other muslim african countries.

locals and newspaper reports say chiefs and imams have
instructed their communities to vote for former president hilla
limann. ''at this moment a lot of people are not hip to
political awareness'', said mohammed sankari, who had just voted
for rawlings.

asked why, he said: ''you see this street, years ago when it
rained you couldn't walk on this street if you had a nice new
shirt it would be spoilt. now its better now things are
changing''. the chiefs are illiterate, he added.

fears of massive rigging by rawlings supporters or any of the
other contenders have so far not materialised.
(more/ips)


ghana: long (2)

there were only minor examples of initimdation. at dunia
polling station in accra, a young boy, ali issifu told ips he
was asked in the booth ''what party are you going to vote for'',
by a polling agent of people's national party (pnp).

issifu said he lied then voted secretly for rawlings national
democratic congress (ndc).

according to a polling officer, ebenezer appiah, supporters
of the npp were hanging around ''waiting to make trouble like a
riot so people would be scared off''. the boys had realised that
most of the voters in the queue were ndc supporters.

european commission observer manfred reinhardt noted there
was not enough indelible ink and some of the boxes were not
properly secured.

at one polling station a presiding officer had to make do
with stamping peoples' thumbs with ordinary ink which he said
could be easily washed away. already five people had attempted
to vote again but they had been spotted, he said.

elsewhere in ghana's capital a woman voter complained:
''we've been waiting here since 5 am. they only call the people
they know, only the familiar faces. is ghana for only one
person? '', she said having been waiting for five hours.

meanwhile, outside the capital, william kono, returning
officer for 36 polling stations in shai osudoku constituency, 40
km east of accra, said he did not expect any trouble.

''we have educated the people and from what i have observed
they are doing very well''.

at rural polling centres visited by ips, party agents said
voting was proceeding smoothly, with only a few cases reported
of attempted voter impersonation.

''we know the area and we know the people, i don't think
anything major will happen here'', said silas ohene-nyako, agent
for adu-boahen's national patriotic party. (end/ips/ro/oa/ar/92)