Counting Commences as Polling Ends in Ghana's Presidential and Parliamentary Elections

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Counting Commences as Polling Ends in Ghana's Presidential and Parliamentary Elections

Accra, Dec 8 (NationPress) The voting for Ghana's general elections has officially closed, paving the way for the counting of ballots.

The voting process commenced at 7 a.m. and concluded at 5 p.m. on Saturday, witnessing over 18 million eligible voters visiting polling stations nationwide to select a new president and 276 parliamentarians, as reported by Xinhua news agency.

The Electoral Commission (EC) stated in its afternoon briefing that the election proceeded smoothly with no significant incidents.

Jean Mensah, the chairperson of the EC, called upon the commission's polling station officials to carry out their duties lawfully and ensure credible outcomes at the conclusion of the process.

According to the EC, 13 candidates initially entered the presidential race, but one candidate passed away, leaving 12 contenders alongside 801 parliamentary candidates.

The presidential election winner must secure more than 50 percent of the votes plus one. If no candidate achieves this threshold in the first round, the top two candidates will face off in a run-off.

This marks the ninth general election since Ghana resumed constitutional governance in 1992.