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Ghana presidential vote extended for second day after technical glitches
(Reuters) – Ghana extended voting in its presidential election into a second day, officials said on Friday, after a rash of technical problems prevented thousands of people in the West African state from casting their ballots on time.
The decision was broadly accepted by political parties and voters, who hoped the poll would entrench Ghana’s reputation as a bulwark of democracy and progress.
“People who lined up to vote today but were unable to do so will be able to cast their ballot tomorrow,” said Election Commissioner Kwadwo Afari-Gyan. Polling stations would reopen at 7:00 a.m. (0700 GMT), he said.
Many newly introduced electronic fingerprint readers, used to verify people’s identities, malfunctioned on Friday, slowing voting and creating long lines at polling stations nationwide that could not be cleared.
A spokesman for the main opposition party said the glitches had affected hundreds of thousands of people, though the electoral commission declined to give an estimate.
A Reuters correspondent found several polling stations in Accra where fingerprint readers were not working, though other stations completed voting and were tallying ballots.
“We have been standing here for five hours. Our line is not moving,” said Alice Hayford, a 44-year-old market trader on the western outskirts of the capital Accra, shortly before polls were due to close.
