Ghana Elections 2008 – President Elect takes office today

Thousands of Ghanaians and other invited guests  are gathering at Ghana's Independence square in Accra, since 5.00am this morning 7^th December 2009 to witness the swearing in ceremony of Professor John Atta Mills as the third President of the fourth republic.

The inauguration ceremony is required by the constitution of Ghana before an individual can assume the position of Ghana's head of state and Commander- In-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces and it comes at the end of long and grueling elections which saw the ruling party New Patriotic Party (NPP) handling power to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The ceremony will see President John Agyekum Kufour handling the symbol of presidential office (sword) to Prof Mills while the Chief Justice of Ghana Mrs Justice Georgina Theodora Wood administering the presidential oath of office to the incoming president and vice- president Mr. John Dramani Mahama will also be sworn in.

Prior to the commencement of the inauguration ceremony, a new parliament and first female speaker in the history of Ghana, Mrs Justice Joyce Bamford-Addo, a retired Supreme Court Judge are expected to be sworn into office.

In related development,  Six West Heads of State are expected to attend todays' inauguration of President John Evans Atta Mills.

The official delegation for the inauguration obtained by the Ghana News Agency listed the Heads of State as Togo, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Benin and Nigeria, who is expected to be the Guest Speaker.Other dignitaries expected are the Chairman of the African Commission, Mr Jean Ping, the Liberian Vice President, Niger Prime Minister, South African Foreign Minister, US Director of Peace Corps, a delegation from Guinea and the Governor of Delta State, Nigeria.

www.africanelections.org/ghana