Ghana opposition surprises NDC with election wins

ACCRA, Ghana (Reuters) -- Ghana's opposition New Patriotic Party has overtaken the ruling party in parliamentary elections but failed to win an outright majority in the new assembly, provisional returns showed Monday.

NPP leader John Kufuor led a presidential vote held on the same day, although he failed to get enough votes to win outright and will face Vice President John Atta Mills in a run-off within 21 days of the official result being announced.

Full provisional results from the Electoral Commission for Thursday's parliamentary poll gave Kufuor's NPP 98 seats in the 200-member assembly, five more than the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of Mills and outgoing President Jerry Rawlings.

In the previous parliamentary election the NDC won 130 seats -- more than twice the 61 which went to the NPP.

Minor opposition parties the People's National Convention and the Convention People's Party won three and one seat respectively, with four going to independents.

The last seat will be decided in a by-election after a candidate died before Thursday's poll.

"We have broken the myth of invincibility with which the NDC had surrounded itself," Kufuor told a news conference, adding that his party had won six of the West African country's 10 regions. "We have demonstrated that the NDC can be beaten."

Mills has the backing of Rawlings, who seized power in a military coup then won multi-party elections in 1992 and 1996. Under a constitutional two-term limit, he is due to step down on January 7 after 19 years in power.

He has pledged to respect the poll result.

Kufuor polled 48.44 percent of presidential votes against 44.80 percent for Mills. The remaining votes were split between five other candidates, some of whom have now rallied to Kufuor.

Several incumbent ministers, including the interior minister, lost their seats to NPP rivals.

"I am quite surprised. We must go back to the drawing board and review the situation," said NDC Secretary-General Alhaji Huudu Yahaya.

Turnout Thursday was just over 60 percent.

The election was marred by ethnic clashes in one northern constituency, where at least seven people died.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Ghana Elections 2000
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