Accra, Dec. 7, GNA- Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama on Sunday predicted a peaceful general election and a "one touch victory" for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Casting his vote at the Civil Service Training School Polling Station in the Dadekotopon Constituency in Accra at about 1055 GMT, he said the security agencies are deployed at all the flash points to nip in the bud any activity that could undermine the smooth conduct of the elections.
Alhaji Mahama, who was accompanied by his wife Rahama urged the media to be circumspective about their reportage about the event in order not to undermine the voting process. Mr. Jake Okanta Obetsebi-Lamptey, member of the NPP campaign team also urged the media to guide against the tendency of exciting people to take the law into their hands due to speculations about electoral irregularities.
Polling in Ghana's fifth consecutive election dubbed Election 2008, started throughout the country at 0700 hours with long queues of voters waiting patiently to cast their votes at polling stations long before the polls opened.
Polling continues until 1700 hours unless. The Electoral Commission (EC) expects all results to be declared within 72 hours. At stake in the polls are the presidential seat and 230 parliamentary seats. Seven political parties and an independent candidate are contesting for the single presidential slot whilst a total of 1,060 parliamentary candidates are slugging it out for seats in the 230 seats in Parliament.
Statistics from the EC Research and Monitoring Department made available to the Ghana News Agency in Accra indicate that the NPP and the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) are contesting in 229 Constituencies.
The NPP is contesting for 21 out of the 22 constituencies in the Western Region whiles the NDC is contesting 38 out of 39 constituencies in the Ashanti Region.
The Convention People's Party (CPP) is contesting in 206 constituencies; People's National Convention (PNC) 129; Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) 108; Democratic People's Party (DPP) 49; Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RPD) 10; and New Vision Party (NVP) four. The rest are: Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) two seats; Ghana National Party (GNP) one seat and 95 independent candidates.
