-10 and a New President

It hit -10 degrees Celsius yesterday morning when I started up the car at 0715 and the temperature stayed around -7 all the way to Carmarthen. Now that's nothing new for Patricia and Michael with their new home in Canada and seasonal weather at -10 daily, but this is Wales. I have had a car with a temperature gauge for 5 years. Well two cars over five years and both with a temperature gauge. The lowest that I have ever seen the temperature hit was -5 and that was rare. To find -7 last week on my way to Carmarthen and -6 outside the house before I started off, was a first. The new -10 and -7 all the way is a new low, or is that a high?

Well it's certainly a high in Ghana; especially for the new President; John Atta Mills. A great result for Democracy and an even better result for President Mills.

I can think of no better way in which to relay the result other than to repeat the current CEEFAX listing from the United Kingdom that appears on page 115 of today's listings: "Ghana's new leader takes office. John Atta Mills has been sworn in as Ghana's new president following a cliff-hanger election victory. Mr Atta Mills, 64, took his oath of allegiance in front of thousands of people in Independence Square for the inauguration in the capital Accra. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate beat the ruling party's Nana Akufo-Addo in a hotly contested poll by a margin of less than 0.5% of votes. President John Kufuor has stood down after serving the maximum two terms."

I have visited Independence Square, albeit not with my friend Michael as he was a bit busy when I travelled over to Africa. It was a lovely quiet and sunny day. Only disturbed by an armed guard marching his prisoner to the prison bus. I bet there were a few armed guards in place for the inauguration. We must now hope that President Mills is allowed to serve his term of office unhindered and is able to instigate improvements for the welfare and future of Ghanaian's in line with Elias's cycle of continuous improvement. Congratulations Mr. President. I thought that I would throw that one in, just in case he ever reads this Blog. Well, it has two followers and who is to say that they are not the two most important new Presidents to take their place firmly on the World stage this year. I suspect that it is a great time to be American, a great time to be Ghanaian and a great time to be Black. But hey ho, things aren't that bad for this Welshman. Yes, there is a recession, but we live in a democracy with free elections and choices. Something which we share with the States and Ghana.

-7 and the Result is still not in

While the election hots up in Ghana, the weather is really cold in the United Kingdom.

The BBC World News for Africa reports that the Ghanaian Presidential Election Polls closed some five hours ago (at 1700 GMT) in the district of Tain. This is the last of Ghana's 230 constituencies to cast a vote. Tain could not vote in last week's run-off because of problems distributing the ballots. Soldiers and police were deployed across the district and the final result is not expected to be announced until tomorrow at the earliest. At the time of the BBC report the leading candidate was 23,000 votes ahead with Tain to be counted. The current president has called for calm.

You need a bit of calm, especially when driving on the UK roads at this time of year. It was -5 outside while I defrosted the car at 0700 GMT to set off on my trek to work, and the wind speed and rising sun caused the temperature to increase to -2 at one point; but it then dipped for the last hour of my journey to -7 degrees Celsius. That's the coldest I have ever seen on my car temperature gauge. So cold that I tip toed my way to work and stayed on those roads that looked as if they had been gritted with salt by the Council. With Christmas music playing, the car heater and my hat were both on throughout the journey. My mind a million miles away from the heat in Ghana. A long lingering heat, and one which is hotting up for two candidates as they come to terms with the final result, the appeals and the realisation for one of them that the dream is over.

Happy New Year to Everyone

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda i bawb oddi wrth fi. Pob bendith i chi am 2009.

It's too close to call

The Presidential Election - The Electoral Commission have stalled announcing the result until this Friday so that they can conduct an audit on some disputed results and permit one area to vote that is still outstanding. Apparently the position is so close that the single area votes could swing the result in favour of the current second placed candidate. I suspect that any disputed results that are altered could have a similar affect. In the UK we have heard of one party giving away ice cream and drinks to cool down the angry crowd that gathered outside the Commissions Headquarters and a story about the military firing warning shots into the air to disperse angry protesters. Given that Ghana is an example of African democracy it would be a grave pity if the country was to slip into any form of violence as a result of election difficulties. This is the fifth election since Ghana returned to democracy in 1992 and it is essential that the losing side accept defeat and that the victorious new President is humble in victory. Given Ghana's new found oil wealth, maybe this is a time to build political bridges and to find a place for the unsuccessful candidate within the new administration so that Ghanaian's can join together to shape the future strategy for the good of the people.