Business slows as Accra votes

Central Accra was practically empty on Thursday morning. Many shops and offices closed. Traffic usually jammed with noisy streets, was sparse, creating a holiday mood as Ghanaians shifted the day's business to polling stations to elect their rulers.
Feelings of elation at another opportunity to tell their leaders their "piece of mind" and anxiety brought on by signs of violence in the last days preceding the election combined to place voters in a high state of alert.
This anxiety translated into impatience as polling places failed to open at the scheduled 0700. Some of the voting stations were at Sakaman, Odorkor, Abossey-Okai, Kaneshie, Kwame Nkrumah Circle and Asylum Down. Election officials turned up with election materials at an hour or a half- hour later.
With long, winding queues at the stations early in the morning, the polls promise a high turn- out. In most of the queues, female voters outnumber the men. Other voters, especially the elderly, opted to stay at home until later in the day when the crowd might have reduced.
Skirmishes were reported at stations in Bubuashie and Kaneshie. The skirmishes were caused mainly by some voters trying to jump the long queues. Other voters demanded that polling officials be visible to everyone.
Such incidents appeared to be limited. Voting at stations around Circle and Asylum Down were peaceful and orderly. In passenger vehicles and side walks the arguments still rage on among voters 48 hours after their candidates had made their last statements.
Some passengers on a bus unable to control their emotions slandered each other so abusively it almost led to a fight. The soothing words of a few elderly women cooled off the emotions.
Police in riot gear tightly secured the offices of the Electoral Commission. Police wore full riot gear and had a riot van stationed in front of the Commission's offices. Within the Commission's premises mounted police stationed their horses at vantage points, truncheons and canes in hand.
But for junior officers assisting the police and visitors, none of the senior staff of the Commission was on hand at 0815 when the GNA got there. All of them, it was learnt, had gone on rounds to monitor the conduct of the polls

Central Accra was practically empty on Thursday morning. Many shops and offices closed. Traffic usually jammed with noisy streets, was sparse, creating a holiday mood as Ghanaians shifted the day's business to polling stations to elect their rulers.
Feelings of elation at another opportunity to tell their leaders their "piece of mind" and anxiety brought on by signs of violence in the last days preceding the election combined to place voters in a high state of alert.
This anxiety translated into impatience as polling places failed to open at the scheduled 0700. Some of the voting stations were at Sakaman, Odorkor, Abossey-Okai, Kaneshie, Kwame Nkrumah Circle and Asylum Down. Election officials turned up with election materials at an hour or a half- hour later.
With long, winding queues at the stations early in the morning, the polls promise a high turn- out. In most of the queues, female voters outnumber the men. Other voters, especially the elderly, opted to stay at home until later in the day when the crowd might have reduced.
Skirmishes were reported at stations in Bubuashie and Kaneshie. The skirmishes were caused mainly by some voters trying to jump the long queues. Other voters demanded that polling officials be visible to everyone.
Such incidents appeared to be limited. Voting at stations around Circle and Asylum Down were peaceful and orderly. In passenger vehicles and side walks the arguments still rage on among voters 48 hours after their candidates had made their last statements.
Some passengers on a bus unable to control their emotions slandered each other so abusively it almost led to a fight. The soothing words of a few elderly women cooled off the emotions.
Police in riot gear tightly secured the offices of the Electoral Commission. Police wore full riot gear and had a riot van stationed in front of the Commission's offices. Within the Commission's premises mounted police stationed their horses at vantage points, truncheons and canes in hand.
But for junior officers assisting the police and visitors, none of the senior staff of the Commission was on hand at 0815 when the GNA got there. All of them, it was learnt, had gone on rounds to monitor the conduct of the polls