Thursday, July 26, 2012

Ghana ruling party leaders back Mahama as candidate

Top members of Ghana's ruling party Thursday backed the country's new president as a candidate for December polls after John Atta Mills' death, but planned a congress to make the selection official.

The backing from members of the executive committee of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) marks a clear sign that the party intends to rally behind former vice president John Dramani Mahama.

But his nomination will only be made official at an NDC congress to be held before September 1, a statement said.

Mahama was sworn in as president late Tuesday, just hours after Mills, who had been scheduled to seek re-election, died at a hospital in Accra. He has also been named as the leader of the party.

"The national executive committee of the National Democratic Congress has today decided that a special congress be held to endorse the leader of the NDC John Dramani Mahama as the flagbearer of the NDC to contest the 2012 general election," the statement said.

The congress will be held "not later than the first of September," it added.

George Lawson, NDC deputy secretary general, said "we do not believe there will be any contest. He will be endorsed... The meeting has agreed that Mahama should contest as the flagbearer."

Mills faced an unprecedented primary challenge from Nana Konadu Rawlings, the wife of ex-leader Jerry Rawlings, before winning the NDC nomination last year, a sign of divisions in a party that narrowly reclaimed power in 2008.

While Mahama could face fresh challenges at the upcoming congress, analysts said he was expected to win with a comfortable margin and the support of the top party panel comes as a boost.

Whomever the NDC runs as its flagbearer, analysts predict the poll will be close.

Ghana is viewed as a bastion of democracy in west Africa, and the transition since Mills' death has so far gone smoothly, with Mahama swiftly sworn in to replace him Tuesday, in line with the constitution.

Opposition figures have also pledged unity, while there has been a flood of tributes for Mills, widely lauded for his integrity despite some criticism that he lacked of energy and initiative -- possibly due to his illness.

Ghana, also a major exporter of cocoa and gold, in December 2010 joined the ranks of oil producing nations. Revenue has been steadily increasing from oil production, boosting the stakes of the upcoming vote.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ghana-ruling-party-mulls-candidate-112748000.html

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