ACCRA (AFP) — Ghana's presidential rivals were gearing up Wednesday for a final push in a remote constituency yet to hold its second-round ballot, which could decide who governs their country.
In the capital Accra, the campaign offices of the two parties were virtually empty as all eyes and energies shifted to Tain, a western constituency of just over 50,000 eligible voters, which will hold its vote Friday.
They failed to vote Sunday because of problems in the distribution of ballot papers -- and because the official results so far are too close to call, the result there could effectively decide who runs Ghana for the next four years.
Despite the tension that had built up ahead of anticipated results from the weekend presidential run-off, life was returning to normal Wednesday in the oceanside capital.
Completed official results for the other 229 consituencies showed opposition leader John Atta-Mills maintaining a slim lead over governing party candidate Nana Akufo-Addo.
Both sides accepted the results so far, though each has accused the other of irregularities during the conduct of the vote in two other regions.
But they have agreed with the electoral commission to an investigation into the allegations and to Friday's vote in Tain.
The electoral commission said due to the closeness of the election, an election would have to be conducted Friday in Tain, an area bordering Ivory Coast.
"The results are so close that the result of the Tain Constituency could affect the eventual winner," commission chairman Kwadwo Afari-Gyan said.
Friday will be the third time in a month that Ghana, a country seen as an example of democracy for Africa, attempts to pick a president to govern for the next four years.
Ghanaians first went to the polls on December 7, but none of the candidates made it past the more than 50 percent threshold required to be a decisive winner. But the ruling party candidate Akufo-Addo was ahead.
Security was beefed up Wednesday in Tain, which some political activists here are likening to the US state of Florida in 2000. It was the site of the decisive -- and controversial -- victory that won President George W. Bush his first term in office.
Party activists were conducting house-to-house campaigns, with the opposition team led by former leader Jerry Rawlings, according to media reports from the region.
"We are going to Tain to finish off the battle, to seal our victory. Tain is our Florida, we will finish them," said one opposition supporter calling himself Dan.
Callers on local radios also proudly referred to Tain as Ghana's Florida.
The NDC took the election in Tain in the first round and holds the parliamentary seat for the constituency.
Theophilus Dowetin of the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) said it would be a Florida for Ghana if Tain helped to decide the election, but it might have a different meaning if it means that is where the election could be stolen.
"Tain might not mean the same if it is where the vote is stolen, but if it is the deciding factor, that will be okay," said Dowetin.
Tension had mounted Tuesday afternoon as voters awaited the results of Sunday's tight presidential runoff pitting the ruling party's Akufo-Addo against Atta-Mills of the NDC.
For a day and a half thousands of opposition activists staged a protest vigil yelling they wanted results as rumours spread that results were being doctored in favour of the ruling party.
The European Union observer team chief said transparency in Tain would help consolidate Ghana's track record.
"Ghana has been an example of democratic elections in the past 15 years," said Nickolay Mladenov.
"Now the people of Ghana have an opportunity to prove their political maturity and democratic credentials by ensuring the election on 2 January 2009 is carried out with the same degree of transparency and openness as the previous elections," he added.
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