Polls close in Ghana's general election in the shadow of the worst economic crisis in a generation

ACCRA, Ghana — Voting closed Saturday evening in most polling centers throughout Ghana, bringing to an end the presidential and legislative elections poised to be a litmus test for democracy in a region shaken by extremist violence and coups.

The capital, Accra, was almost a ghost town for much of the day. Even vibrant Oxford Street, one of the city's commercial hubs, saw little activity on the day that Ghanaians went to the polls to elect a new president and 276 legislators.

Some 18.7 million people are registered to vote in the West African country hit by one of the worst economic crises in a generation. However, the two main candidates offer little hope for change for the nation.

Early results were expected late on Saturday. The first official results will be released by Tuesday.

Ghana used to be a poster child for democracy in the region. At a time when coups threatened democracy in West Africa, Ghana emerged as a beacon of democratic stability with a history of peaceful elections. It had also been an economic powerhouse, priding itself on its development.

But in recent years, it has struggled with a profound economic crisis, including surging inflation and a lack of jobs.

According to an opinion poll released earlier this year by Afrobarometer, a research group, 82% of Ghanaians feel their country is headed in the wrong direction

Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia is the candidate of the ruling New Patriotic Party, or NPP, which has struggled to resolve the economic crisis. He faces off against former President John Dramani Mahama, the leader of the main opposition party National Democratic Congress, or NDC. He was voted out in 2016 after failing to deliver on promises for the economy.

Opinion polls point to a potential comeback for Mahama. A local research company, Global InfoAnalytics says he is projected to get 52.2% of the vote, followed by Bawumia, with 41.4%.

After voting in the town of Bole in northern Ghana, Mahama praised the smooth election process and expressed confidence in his own victory.

''In other elections, it had not been clear," he told reporters. ''But (during) this election everyone sees where it is heading.''

Bawumia, who voted in his Walewale constituency, also in northern Ghana, also said he believed he had won.

The NDC prides itself as a social democratic party, while the ruling NPP tags itself as leaning to the right. But in fact, analysts and voters said, the programs of their presidential candidates do not differ in a significant way.

Members of parliament will also be elected Saturday. The ruling NPP party and the main opposition NDC each have 137 members in the 275-member legislature, with one independent member who has been voting mostly along with the ruling party. One more constituency will be added in this election, bringing the number of deputies to 276.

In their final campaign rallies Thursday, both candidates made a last push to pitch their political parties as the answer to Ghana's economic woes.

Bawumia, 61, an Oxford-educated economist and former deputy governor of the country's central bank, promised to build on the outgoing administration's efforts and stabilize the economy.

Mahama, 65, on the other hand, restated his promise to ''reset'' the country on various fronts. ''We need to reset our democracy, governance, economy, finances, agriculture, infrastructure, environment, health sector, and all that we hold dear as a people,'' the former president said.

But the concern for many is also palpable for the key thing at stake: The country's ailing economy, which has been challenged on various fronts in recent years.

The country defaulted on most of its foreign debt last year as it faced a worsening economic crisis that spiked the price of fuel, food and other essential items. The inflation rate had hit 54% by the end of last year and though it's been coming down since then, not many Ghanaians can still tell the difference when they go to the market.

Ebenezer Kotey Dsane, a 69-year-old driver said he voted for Mahama because ''he is a good man'' who ''set up much infrastructure when he was in office.''

''The current regime hasn't done much,'' he said, pointing to the La General Hospital in Accra, one of the capital's main medical facilities, pulled down in July 2020 by the current government with a pledge to reconstruct it. ''Until today, nothing has happened.''

Some chose not to vote at all. Ruth Mensah, 42, an unemployed resident of Nima, a working-class suburb in Accra, said she decided not to cast a ballot.

Patricia Seyram Hagbevor, 20, a first-time voter and student at Accra Technical University said she wished for a change. She didn't disclose whom she voted for, but said she ''hoped for a change for the better that will help develop our future.''

The chronic challenge of illegal gold mining — known locally as galamsey — has also been a major issue in the campaign and a source of concern for voters, triggering protests and criticism against the outgoing government.

Ghana is Africa's top gold producer and the world's sixth largest, but the commodity has been increasingly mined illegally as people become more desperate to find jobs in an economy that has been crumbling. The mining has polluted rivers and other parts of the environment despite government actions to clamp down on the practice.

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