Today is election day in Ghana. Since I'm interested in elections and people in Jirapa have been talking politics for weeks, I felt I should give it a mention on my blog.

Today, Ghanaians will cast two votes: one for their parliamentary candidate and the other for the presidential candidate. The two main parties are the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP). I have no idea who will win, it seems very close. The NDC currently holds the presidential seat and has a majority in parliament. The NPP is promising free senior high school education for everyone if they return to power.

Many Ghanaians will vote for the same party on both their presidential and parliamentary ballot papers. However, in some cases, people will cast their vote for different parties. For example, they might vote for one of the main parties for the presidential candidate but choose to cast their vote for a smaller party or independent candidate for their MP. This is colloquially known as voting 'skirt and blouse'.

Ghana has a track record of peaceful elections and the country is often held up as a beacon of political stability. Even when John Atta Mills (the late president) died a few months ago, there was a smooth handover to John Mahama, the former vice-president.

Ghanaians are incredibly proud of their peaceful politics, but nevertheless, there have still been plenty of billboards and radio adverts encouraging a non-violent election. There have been various community projects around the elections too. A few weeks ago I watched the students in the Civic Education Club at Tizza RC School practice a play for the local community based on the theme of peaceful elections. They aren't taking any chances. Yesterday I saw the army in Jirapa; they've been drafted in to help support the police with the elections. The police work closely with the presiding officer at each polling station to make sure there are no problems and they are responsible for transporting the ballot boxes safely to the count.

My Ghanaian friends find it hilarious that I have to write an evacuation plan but they all agree it's sensible to stay indoors for a while, to avoid getting caught up in any localised scraps. We've stocked up on enough food for about a week, packed an emergency bag, filled up our bikes with fuel, and made sure there are enough boxes of sangria to keep us sane for a few days.

Tensions are running high between the parliamentary candidates in Jirapa. There are seven candidates, including three women. Notably, the three women are standing for smaller parties and are unlikely to win; participation of women in local and national politics in the Upper West is an issue.

I have been told that Jirapa is traditionally an NDC stronghold and usually there would be little contest. However, this year is more interesting as an independent candidate is standing. He is also an NDC member but decided to stand as an independent when he wasn't selected by the party for the Jirapa seat. Personally, I think it'll be a very close result and there could be some problems when the two campaigning teams gather at the count later this evening.

There have been a few scuffles. There was an incident between the independent and NDC sides in Jirapa a few weeks ago which resulted in one person going to hospital with a broken thigh bone. I've heard there were violent clashes in the city of Kumasi a couple of days ago, and another volunteer told me recently that a policeman fired his gun into the air to stop a quarrel in Zebilla in the Upper East Region. There was definitely an air of excitement in Jirapa on Wednesday as people began to travel home to vote. Today is a national holiday. Generally, I think it'll be very peaceful but people here certainly take politics more seriously than in the UK.

At the moment VSO have told volunteers to be on election lock down for three days. We have to report any incidents to the emergency number and we have been designated a safe house where we will gather if there are any problems in the Upper West. In the unlikely event that there are major problems, like a civil war, we each have an evacuation plan for the nearest international airport. For me, this involves getting on my motorbike and riding over the border into Burkina Faso, then heading for the international airport at Ouagadougou. To be honest, after half a day stuck in the house I'm so bored that I would quite enjoy a quick ride to Burkina!

Of course, if none of the candidates get over 50% of the vote in the presidential election the nation will go back to the polls on 28th December. I might be stuck in the house for a while!

BBC has a good article on the elections here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20631933

There's a special website for the elections here:

http://ghvotes2012.com/