Election results to close to call

Election officials announced on 30 December 2008 that the 28 December run-off presidential election between Nana Akufo-Addo of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and John Atta Mills of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) was too close to call. The election results gave Atta Mills 50.13 percent of the vote and Akufo-Addo 49.87 percent, a difference of 23,055 votes. With such a small margin, results in the disputed areas of Ashanti and Volta and the Tain constituency area of the Brong Ahaso region, which was unable to fully participate in the run-off due to issues with materials, could impact the outcome. Election officials have scheduled for the Tain constituency to hold a run-off vote on 2 January 2009 and will in the meantime audit the election results in an attempt to resolve the disputes. Tensions have been high since the vote, and protests by NDC supporters have been taking place at the electoral commission headquarters. Stores have reportedly closed in Accra due to fears over looting; however, no incidents of unrest have occurred thus far. Ghana's new president was set to be sworn in on 7 January, but this will likely be pushed back.