Ghanaians Turn Out for Peaceful Election

Voters turned out in large numbers on Saturday as populist leader Jerry J. Rawlings--who twice came to power through military coups--sought a final term in the presidency against a rejuvenated opposition.

Long lines formed in the capital as Ghanaians came out in force to vote peacefully in presidential and parliamentary elections in the gold-rich West African nation that was a pioneer in post-colonial African nationalist politics.

The voting marked the first time since independence from Britain in 1957 that an elected Ghanaian government had completed its term without being overthrown at gunpoint or forced to step down.

Rawlings, 49, was a charismatic fighter pilot who first came to power in a bloody 1979 coup, vowing to end corruption. He allowed civilian elections--only to attempt a second coup two years later. That attempt failed and landed Rawlings in prison, but within days he broke out and toppled the elected government.

Rawlings ruled over a single-party state until elections in 1992, which he won with nearly 59% of the vote.

A key question in this election was whether Rawlings’ crowd-pulling populism would bring him victory in the face of widespread unemployment and high inflation--39.2% in August.

“I’m going to continue concentrating on protecting the tree of freedom that was planted in the revolution of ‘79,” Rawlings said after voting beneath the palm trees at a polling station behind his seaside residence, the Castle.

His rivals--John Kufuor, 57, of the New Patriotic Party and outsider Edward Mahama of the People’s National Convention--set out to tap the vein of smoldering discontent over the economy.

About 9 million people were eligible to vote for the president and all 200 seats in the National Assembly. About 100 foreigners and 4,000 Ghanaians monitored polling. Rawlings won praise for permitting an independent commission to oversee the election. In most West African countries, the ruling party organizes voting.

Election results are expected Monday. A runoff will be held in 21 days if no one wins outright.