Thousands celebrate as new president takes office

Ghana's new president took office yesterday after a peaceful but tense election that secured the country's status as a stable democracy. Tens of thousands of people crowded Independence Square in Accra for the inauguration of John Atta Mills, the opposition candidate, who won the runoff election with 50.23% of the vote. Atta Mills spent much of his career teaching at the University of Ghana. It is the second time power in Ghana has been transferred from one legitimately elected leader to another, which experts say proves democracy has matured after an era of coups and dictatorship in the 1970s and 80s.
Associated Press in Accra