GRi Press Review 11 - 12 - 2000
The Daily Graphic / The Ghanaian concedes
Kuffuor, Mills in run-off / NPP, NDC in re-run
Post-election riots, 10 killed at Bawku
Heartsstopper! - But 'we the people' have spoken
The Second Round - what's going to happen?
NDC gambles badly
NDC braves the storm
Progress in withdrawing 250,000 tonnes cocoa from World Market
The Daily Graphic / The Ghanaian concedes
Kuffuor, Mills in run-off / NPP, NDC in re-run
Both the Daily Graphic and The Ghanaian Times report on the re-run of Thursday's Presidential elections following the inability of the two leading contestants, Mr John Agyekum Kufuor of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Professor J.E.A. Mills of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to hit the 50 per cent plus one vote mark required by the constitution to win the presidency.
While Mr Kufuor is reported to have obtained 3,104,231 of total valid votes cast in 199 constituencies representing 48.44 per cent, Prof. Mills polled 2,871,051 votes which gave him 44.80 per cent.
Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), addressing a news conference in Accra on Sunday, said the run-off has become necessary because no single candidate obtained more votes than those of all the other candidates put together.
He said the run-off must be held within 21 days after the formal declaration of results, adding that the commission would strive to ensure that it is conducted within that period to enable the next government to be sworn into office on January 7, 2000.
Dr Afari-Gyan said that the EC would need 15 billion cedis to conduct the second round of the presidential elections adding that the EC was adequately prepared for the run-off and expressed the hope that the money would be made available for the purpose.
Meanwhile, in another front-page capture of Graphic, Mr Kufuor has predicted a more humiliating defeat for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the re-run of the presidential elections. But Prof. Mills in another story, has called on all progressive forces, particularly Nkrumaists, to join hands with his party in the run-off.
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Post-election riots, 10 killed at Bawku
The Ghanaian Times reports that ten people have been killed while 25 others are on admission at the Bawku Presbyterian Hospital with gun-shot wounds following the delay by the district electoral officer to declare the results of last Thursday's Presidential and Parliamentary elections.
The dead include a five year-old girl shot on the left leg.
Houses including that of the NPP Parliamentary candidate, Madam Hawa Yakubu, her car and other vital documents, as well as shops and the constituency office of the NDC were burnt.
Economic activities have also been brought to a standstill while some inhabitants and students have deserted the area.
Major-General H.K. Anayidoho, Commander of the Northern Command, in a meeting with Kusasi and Mamprusi opinion leaders of the town, appealed to the factions to ensure peace in the area.
Meanwhile the 64 Unit and the Recce Squadron are said to have been deployed to the area to help the Airbone and Police personnel to restore law and order.
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Heartsstopper! - But 'we the people' have spoken
The Ghanaian Chronicle says the resilience of the NDC showed Sunday when the run-away lead of the NPP was halted in a furious rear guard battle, forcing a precipitous run-off in the historic elections.
The paper said with the exception of Volta Region, most Ghanaians spoke with one clear voice repudiating the NDC administration, dismissing almost all the ministers that had escaped official censure for one thing or the other and backing NPP's J.A. Kufuor to take over from 19 years of the (P)NDC government that had plunged the economy into dire straits.
"A difference of 233,342 stood between Professor Mills and a Kufuor victory, but the clearest message of change rang out loud and clear even in traditional NDC strongholds", the paper said.
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The Second Round - what's going to happen?
Chronicle writes that a second round is likely to favour the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as it did Dr Hilla Limann's People's National Party in 1979 when the United National Convention (UNC) which had broken of from the Victor Owusu led Popular front Party (PFP), threw its weight behind the ideologically contrasting PNP.
The Electoral Commission (EC) on Sunday announced that the elections would go into a run-off at the cost of 15 billion cedis to determine the next President of Ghana, immediately sparking-off calls by the NPP for Vice President J.E. Atta Mills, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate to concede defeat.
NPP General Secretary, Mr Dan Botwe in a reaction to the EC's announcement of the run-off said Prof. Mills should have known by his performance in the elections that he would suffer a serious defeat in a run-off.
"We're sure of winning a run-off. We've beaten him, an incumbent Vice President, and we would repeat it."
Mr Quaynor-Mettle, NDC Propaganda Secretary however told the paper that his party is looking forward to the run-off and that they would find a solution to the problems that impeded the NDC from winning the first ballot before the due date.
The NDC, he promised would give the run-off its best shot and win it.
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NDC gambles badly
An inside page story of the Public Agenda says the NDC gambled badly by rejecting the choice of their supporters to represent them in parliament.
The story says the results of the elections showed that a good number of people protested by voting massively for candidates rejected by the party headquarters, either by voting for independent candidates or the NPP, and many of those that the party imposed lost their seats.
Typical among them were Richard Dornu Nartey of Shama constituency, Sqr. Ldr. Clend Sowu of Anlo and Hamid Baba Braimah of the Salaga constituency. Braimah lost to Boniface A. Sadiqque an NDC member who contested as an independent candidate.
The paper has a tall order of ministerial casualties, including Mr Owusu-Acheampong, Minister of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), who have lost their seats this year against five that missed out in the 1996 elections
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NDC braves the storm
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) put up a spirited fight to push for a run-off in the December 7, 2000 presidential elections between the NDC and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), says the Ghana Palaver.
This follows the declaration of provisional results of the 199 constituencies by the Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan in Accra on Sunday.
He said with the results of Bawku Central yet to be received (due to the eruption of ethnic violence after the elections there), none of the seven political parties has chalked the constitutional requirement of 50% + 1 to enable it to win on the first ballot.
He said with these results, the regulation governing the run-off demands that it should be conducted within 21 days of the official declaration of the results.
Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, Vice President and flagbearer of the NDC is however reported saying in another capture of the paper that he is satisfied with the general conduct of Thursday's elections.
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Progress in withdrawing 250,000 tonnes cocoa from World Market
The High Street Journal (HSJ) reported that Ghana and three other cocoa producers in Africa say they are making steady progress in their efforts to withdraw 250,000 tonnes of cocoa from the world market to boost the commodity price.
The four have resolved to burn this amount of cocoa in the 2000 and 2001 season.
Preliminary data gathered by technical experts indicate that a resulting price increase would more than compensate for the withdrawal.
Together, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Cameroon produce 70 per cent of the world's cocoa.
The HSJ says ideally, these four should wield enough power to regulate cocoa prices on the world market, but in the event where supply far outstrips demand, they would have little control over pricing.
Many importing countries are said to have stockpiles of between six months and two years and would not be affected by any seasonal withdrawals.
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