Voting in Ghana for a new president and parliament has
entered its second day after technical glitches led to long delays
in some areas.
Breakdowns in a new biometric voting system meant many were
unable to cast ballots on Friday.
A tight race is expected between the two main candidates -
incumbent President John Dramani Mahama and opposition leader Nana
Akufo-Addo.
Ghanaian electoral observers said no serious incidents had
been reported.
It was not clear how many polling stations had been affected
by Friday's glitches. The new biometric system requires electronic
fingerprints from voters.
"We are talking about isolated instances - it is not a mass
problem," electoral commission chief Kwado Afari-Gyan told AFP news
agency.
Results had been expected as early as Sunday but it was
unclear if the timeframe would remain after the
extension.
A second round is possible on 28 December if no candidate
wins an outright majority. Narrow majority
Mr Mahama, speaking after casting his vote on Friday, said
the elections would "go down in history as the best ever to be held
in Ghana".
Mr Akufo-Addo expressed hope that the polls would remain
peaceful.
Mr Mahama took over as president after John Atta Mills died
in July. His National Democratic
Congress is also defending a narrow parliamentary
majority.
Ghana has seen five elections since military rule ended in
1992 but analysts say the stakes are higher than ever as commercial
oil production that began in 2010 is expected to
expand.
Mr Mahama wants to spend
Ghana's new wealth on large investments in infrastructure, while Mr
Akufo-Addo is advocating free secondary education.
As a top exporter of cocoa and gold, Ghana is one of the
world's fastest-growing economies.
In 2011 it saw economic growth of 14% and experts predict
growth of 8% for 2012 and in 2013.
