Rawlings animates ruling party rally as vote nears

Charismatic leader Jerry Rawlings, in his trademark sunglasses and batik tie-dye costume, led a campaign rally Saturday in Ghana's second city Kumasi, stumping for his protege John Atta Mills.

Up to 7,000 supporters of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) -- including hundreds who had been bused in from surrounding areas -- were on hand for the event five days ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections.

The excitement mounted as they danced, drummed and chanted for at least two hours before the first speaker took the podium in Kumasi, an opposition heartland and the ancient capital of the Ashanti kingdom.

In the last democratic elections four years ago, the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) won 28 of the 33 parliamentary seats in Kumasi, home to nearly one-fifth of Ghana's total electorate of some 11 million.

When Rawlings finally approached the microphones, he said: "I encourage all of you to vote for the NDC to ensure that we continue our good work" under Atta Mills, his vice president since 1996.

The former air force pilot has been a fixture in Ghanaian politics since he seized power in a 1981 coup, overseeing military rule for 11 years before ushering in a constitution under which he must step down now that he has concluded two four-year terms as civilian president.

Addressing repeated charges that the NDC, shaken by a mounting challenge from the NPP, was seeking to intimidate voters, the outgoing president said: "We should not allow ourselves to be provoked by our opponents."

He added: "We should make sure that we elect those politicians who will tell us the truth, nothing but the truth, and not lies."

Atta Mills, an academic with only his vice presidential stint for a political resume, told the rally: "Nothing is more important than the peace and stability of our country. Yes, we want power, but not at the risk of chaos in the country.

"We want peace, and all the parties should ensure that they aim to win power through peaceful means."

Audrey Gadzekpo of the University of Ghana's School of Communication Studies commented in Accra on Saturday: "The government is running scared" in the face of "the closest race ever."

Opposition candidates have sought to capitalise on the relatively lacklustre persona of the NDC's Atta Mills and a growing economic crisis in the west African country brought about by plunging prices for gold and cocoa, Ghana's main exports.

Meanwhile, the NPP campaign, headed by presidential hopeful John Kufuor, scoured the southwestern coast on Saturday, heading east towards the capital Accra where a major rally is planned on Sunday.

From their first stop of the day at the fishing port of Takoradi, Kufuor's running mate Aliu Mahama told AFP in Accra by telephone: "I see a lot of hope. I think we're going to have a straight win."

For an outright win, Kufuor and Mahama must poll more than 50 percent of the vote. Otherwise a second-round runoff, which is widely anticipated, must be held within three weeks.

The NPP bandwagon also planned stops at the colonial-era port of Cape Coast and the town of Mankessim.

NPP campaign official Haruna Armeyao, also in Takoradi, charged that the NDC sought to intimidate villagers in rural areas.

"NDC agents are accompanied by soldiers everywhere they go," he said.

Tensions have risen, along with warnings over the potential for fraud, as the race has narrowed with the emergence of Goosie Tanoh, a former NDC stalwart who formed the breakaway National Reform Party, as a potential spoiler for the ruling party's chances of a first-round victory.

So far, only sporadic clashes have erupted around the country, mainly between NDC and NPP supporters. In late October, an NDC supporter stabbed to death a backer of the minor People's National Convention party in the only known election-related fatality to date.