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Voting Underway in Ghana's Presidential Election

by VOA News

   Voters in the West African nation of Ghana are at the polls to choose a
   president.

   Incumbent John Mahama is seeking a second term against main opposition
   leader Nana Akufo-Addo, the man he defeated four years ago.

   Akufo-Addo, a former foreign minister, has seized on Ghana's current
   economic woes as a campaign theme, accusing Mahama and his ruling
   National Democratic Congress of incompetence.

   Ghana is a major exporter of oil, gold and cocoa. But Mahama's first
   term has been overshadowed by the plunge in global oil prices, which
   has sent inflation soaring.

   The government accepted a $918 million bailout from the International
   Monetary Fund. The president traveled across the country in the waning
   days of the campaign to promote a set of new major infrastructure
   projects he has undertaken.

   Ghana has enjoyed a reputation as beacon of democracy on the African
   continent, but this year's campaign has been marred by accusations of
   voter intimidation and concerns about the country's electoral
   commission.