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Ghana: Re-elected President Mahama to be inaugurated on Monday – appeals for political unity
Re-elected Ghana President John Dramani Mahama. PHOTO/Issouf Sanogo/AFP
(Reuters) – Ghana’s president called for political unity on Friday, reaching out to rivals who are contesting his election due to suspicions of irregularities.
John Dramani Mahama, a former vice president who took office in July after the death of President John Atta Mills, won a December 7 election and is due to be sworn in on Monday along with a new parliament.
“For the long-term survival of our nation, we must agree and commit to a multi-partisan process,” Mahama said in a speech to parliament. “Whatever our differences, whatever our politics, we must pull together and rise to meet these challenges.”
International and local election observers said the December election – in which Mahama won 50.7 percent of the votes – was free and fair despite delays and technical problems that forced voting into a second day.
Ghana’s main opposition party – the NPP of challenger Nana Akufo-Addo, launched a legal challenge on December 28, saying the poll involved some irregularities that could have “possibly affected the outcome”.
Ghana is one of Africa’s fastest growing economies and has maintained three decades of peace, making it a favorite among both African and international investors.
Mr. Mahama said economic growth in the cocoa, oil and gold exporting nation was between 8.5 and 9 percent in 2012, but that political unity was required to ensure the rising productivity resulted in development.
