Opposition leader John Atta Mills said he will pray for humility and for God’s wisdom to govern Ghana after being declared the West African country’s next president.
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(Photo: AP Images / Rebecca Blackwell)Ghana's opposition party candidate John Atta Mills stands in his office in Accra, Ghana Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008 file photo. Ghana's Electoral Commission said Saturday Jan. 3, 2009 that opposition leader John Atta Mills won the presidency of the West African nation. Commission chairman Kwadwo Afari-Gyan says Mills narrowly won Sunday's runoff by capturing 50.23 percent, or 4,521,032 votes, compared with 49.77 percent, or 4,480,446 votes, for ruling party candidate Nana Akufo-Addo.
“[T]he time has come to work together to build a better Ghana," he told throngs of jubilant supporters Saturday.
"May we pray to God to continue to shower his blessings on Ghana," he added, according to the Africans Election Project.
Atta Mills’ win Saturday marked the culmination of his third run for the presidency and made Ghana one of the few in Africa to successfully transfer power twice from one legitimately elected leader to another. The 64-year-old University law professor beat out ruling party candidate Nana Akufo-Addo by a narrow 50.2 to 49.8 percent vote.
Though African leaders and voters have hailed the peaceful nature of Ghana's presidential election as a model of a functional democracy for Africa, some still fear violence could erupt as it did last year in Kenya — an East African nation that also was a model of stability until a similarly tight ballot unleashed weeks of tribal bloodshed.
The results of Ghana’s second ballot last week followed an indecisive Dec. 7 election.
On Saturday, Atta Mills called on his supporters to be "circumspect and do nothing to provoke anyone."
He also assured Ghanaians “that I will be president for all," according to The Associated Press.
Atta Mills will be inaugurated president Wednesday.
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Even the leader of a third world country knows he needs wisdom from God and the people know it too. I guess we've become too blessed to remember the one who blesses.