As early results trickled in Friday from Ghana's closely fought general elections, the opposition demanded a recount in a southern constituency it lost by a razor-thin margin to the ruling party.
Official results from the Ayawaso East constituency of Nima district on the Gulf of Guinea coast gave the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) the edge over the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) by fewer than 50 votes of a total of some 58,000.
Under Ghanaian electoral law, a party is entitled to demand one recount on the spot, international election observer Greg Quinn told AFP, adding that any further challenge would have to go through the courts.
The new tally is likely to be carried out Friday under close impartial scrutiny, said Quinn, an information officer at the British High Commission (embassy).
Some 200 international observers are on hand to monitor the elections and their aftermath, as well as between 12,000 and 14,000 observers from local non-governmental organizations.
The NPP's challenge in Nima is the first arising from Thursday's presidential and parliamentary elections, which are expected to hand the NPP important gains in parliament.
Already, with only 16 of the 200 constituencies declared, the NPP has wrested six seats from the NDC, including those of two cabinet ministers.
The NDC has 133 seats in the outgoing parliament to the NPP's 61.
Most observers say the presidential race to succeed outgoing President Jerry Rawlings, pitting incumbent Vice President John Atta Mills against the NPP's John Kufuor, is a contest that is too close to call.
Polling Thursday was generally orderly and peaceful, with only isolated incidents reported -- ACCRA (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
