The Electoral Commission Ghana says results of Monday’s presidential election will be released “as soon as they are received”.

The Commission said collation of results is currently ongoing in the country and urged Ghanaians and lovers of the country’s democracy to remain calm and patient.

The Commission in a statement on Tuesday titled, ‘Collation Of Election Results Proceeding Smoothly Across The Country’, also warned party representatives and supporters against declaring any results.

The statement read, “The Electoral Commission informs the general public that the process of collating election results at all the Constituency and Regional Collation Centres is currently ongoing in the presence of political party agents.

“The Commission’s staff and field officers are working round the clock to ensure that the collated results are accurate and a true reflection of the will of the people of Ghana who turned out in their numbers to vote on 7th December, 2020.

“This time around, the Commission, at its National Collation Centre in Accra is only receiving collated presidential election results from 16 regions as opposed to results from 275 constituencies as has been the case in the past.

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“As such, we urge the public and stakeholders remain and calm and patient. The Commission will release all certified results as soon as they are received.

“The Commission reminds the public that it remains the sole and legally mandated body to declare presidential election results in Ghana. As such, candidates, their supporters, the media, and the public are urged to desist from declaring presidential election results as this is in contravention of the law and a threat to the peace and stability of our nations.”

At least 12 candidates contested Monday’s election but the vote is essentially a fight between two major candidates.

For the third time on Monday, President Nana Akufo-Addo, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the New Patriotic Party, locked horns with his predecessor, John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress.

In 2012, Mahama narrowly defeated Akufo-Addo with 50.7 per cent of the vote and in 2016, Akufo-Addo beat Mahama with 53.8 per cent.

More than 17 million people registered to vote in the West African nation’s eighth consecutive poll since it returned to democracy decades ago.

According to the electoral umpire, “The winner of the presidential election must obtain not less than 50% +1 of the total valid votes cast i.e. the candidate must obtain more votes than the votes of all other contestants put together.”