Ghana puts democracy to the test in high-stakes election Electoral commission official Asante Kissi however played down the problems, saying some trucks had arrived late with materials. Stations that had opened late would remain open beyond the 1700 GMT closing time, he added. Voters waiting in line expressed pride in being able to cast their ballots. Comfort Baiden said she had arrived at 1:00 am to wait because she had to make it to work by 8:00 am. The seamstress said she had spent the night on a plastic chair reading a book. "I have to vote because I'm a Ghanaian and the vote is my future," she added. Ghana has had five elections since military rule ended in 1992, but the stakes are seen as higher than ever this time, as commercial oil production that began in 2010 is set to expand. Mahama, 54, of the National Democratic Congress, only took power in July, when his predecessor John Atta Mills died following an illness. The 68-year-old Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party, the son of a former president, lost by less than one percentage point in 2008. Ghana, the first sub-Saharan African nation to gain independence from colonial rule in 1957, suffered a number of military coups before returning to democracy in 1992. Subsequent elections have seen both parties voted out of office, establishing Ghana's democratic credentials in a region that has seen its share of rigged polls and coups. US President Barack Obama chose Ghana for his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa after taking office in 2009. But analysts say that as Ghana's democracy has deepened, the rivalry between the ruling NDC and NPP has intensified. "They know what comes with power," said Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi, a political science professor at the University of Ghana. If you capture the presidency, you control all the machinery of the state and unlike the past, we now have oil. The state coffers will be brimming. Voters are also electing a 275-seat parliament. The NDC won a narrow edge in seats over the NPP in the 2008 vote. Six minor candidates also appear on the presidential ballot and could help force a second-round vote. There are some 14.1 million registered voters. One of the world's newest oil producers, Ghana is also a top exporter of cocoa and gold, with economic growth of 14 percent in 2011. Eight percent growth is expected for 2012 and 2013, according to the World Bank. Voters are anxious to feel the benefits of the boom and Mahama insists he deserves a full four-year term to complete the project the NDC started in 2008. In an interview with AFP, Akufo-Addo countered that the economic growth numbers were "just figures on paper." "In terms of the actual standard of living and quality of life of our people, they are radically different from the GDP figures," he said. Political observers say that the campaign has been the most policy-driven ever in the country of 24 million people, but note that ethnic and regional allegiances remain crucial. The north, the poorest region and Mahama's home area, is considered an NDC stronghold along with the eastern Volta region, while the NPP is dominant in the country's centre. The west and areas surrounding the capital Accra in the southeast are seen as swing districts. How to spend Ghana's oil money has been one of the key issues. Mahama has advocated a large investment in infrastructure, while Akufo-Addo has promoted his signature policy of free secondary education.