Runoff was smooth, but...

Reports from the 10 regions of Ghana indicate that voting on the presidential run-off took off smoothly, without the anticipated rush and long queues, but ended with accusations and counter-accusations between the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National, Democratic Congress (NDC).

Many polling stations were empty three hours into the opening of the polls in the regions, and while the NDC alleged that most of its polling agents were denied the opportunity of observing, the elections in the Ashanti and, parts of the Eastern regions, the NPP said its agents were denied the same opportunity in the Volta Region.

Kwame Asiedu Marfo reports from Takoradi that there were no long queues at most of the polling stations the Daily Graphic visited between 7 a.m. and 10.30 a.m., leaving some of the electoral officials at the stations virtually on holiday.

However, voters were seen trickling in to vote at some of the stations.

General comportment of voters was encouraging while most of the polling stations were opened on time.

No major incidents were recorded at the time the Daily Graphic visited the polling stations, except at the Collins Avenue Primary School Polling Station in the Takoradi Constituency where the nationality of a voter, Ibrahim Yaaji, was challenged by the NPP agent, Mohammed Abubakar.

Ibrahim, alleged to be Nigerien, had his name on the register and had a voters card with registration number 24591844 (EJ) and was allowed to vote, pending the outcome of the challenge.

At the Dohome-Adakope-Takoradi Polling Station in the Takoradi Constituency, 210 out of the 1,183 registered voters had cast their votes as at 9a.m.

At the Temporary Structure 57B/5 Polling Station, which had 413 registered voters, 114 had voted, while at the Temporary Structure New Accra Station Polling Station in the same constituency, 2 out of the 855 registered voters had cast their votes as of 9:40 a.m.

At, the Well Road Primary School Polling Station in the Sekondi Constituency, 119 out of the 529 registered voters had cast their votes, while at the STMA Primary School Dankessim polling station, 336-out of the 987 registered voters had cast their votes as at I0.30a.m.

At T/S Court House Polling Station in the same constituency, 300 people out of the 858 registered voters had voted at the time of the visit.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Presiding Officer at the Well Road Primary School Polling station, Mr. Richard Allen, said the anticipated atmosphere was not what was happening, since there was no rush at the polling.