international praise as leader of a stable model
democracy in Africa, died suddenly on Tuesday
and will be succeeded by his vice-president in the
West African oil, gold and cocoa producer,
officials said.
Mills was 68. The unexpected death of the leader of
the world's No. 2 cocoa grower comes months
before he was due to stand for re-election in
December.
Ghana, also a major African gold producer, started
pumping oil in 2010 and posted double-digit growth
in 2011, burnishing its image as an increasingly
attractive investment destination on the continent. It
was praised for its healthy democracy.
"It is with a heavy heart ... that we announce the
sudden and untimely death of the president of the
Republic of Ghana," a statement sent to Reuters by
the president's office said.
Vice President John Dramani Mahama would be
sworn in to replace Mills under Ghana's constitution,
officials said.
The president's office said that Mills, who celebrated
his 68th birthday on Saturday, died a few hours after
being taken ill, but no further details were given.
A presidential aide, who asked not to be named, said
the president had complained of pains on Monday
evening and died early on Tuesday afternoon when
his condition worsened.
Mills had returned from medical checks in the United
States a few weeks ago.
Ghana's election commission said December's
presidential and parliamentary elections would go
ahead as planned.
"The election calendar remains unchanged - it's
purely a party matter," election chief Kwadwo Afari-
Gyan told Reuters, explaining that it was up to the
ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to find a
candidate to replace Mills.
PRAISE FROM OBAMA
Trained as a lawyer and taxation expert, Mills had
overseen Ghana's emergence as one of Africa's
newest oil producers two years ago, winning plaudits
both at home and abroad for his sound economic
policies and commitment to democracy and good
governance.
In March, U.S. President Barack Obama received the
Ghanaian president in the Oval Office and praised
him and his country as "a good-news story" in Africa.
Previous rumors about Mills's possible ill health had
swirled in the last few weeks and he traveled last
month to the United States for medical treatment.
On that occasion, he had joked with reporters on his
departure from the capital Accra about rumors of his
death, asking them: "Are you seeing a person who
has died?"
Mills, who won a close-fought, two-round election in
2008 by beating off rival Nana Akufo-Addo of the
then-ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), was preparing
to bid for a second term in polls set for December,
once again against arch-foe Akufo-Addo.
Mills and his National Democratic Congress (NDC)
party have had to manage high expectations among
ordinary Ghanaians awaiting benefits from the
country's oil production.
But he had always made a point of stressing the need
for political stability in an often turbulent region -
coups in Mali and Guinea-Bissau this year have
blotted the continent's advances in democracy and
governance.
"We are going to ensure that there is peace before,
during, after the (December) election, because when
there is no peace, it's not the elitists who will suffer,
it's the ordinary people who have elected us into
office," Mills told Obama in March.
Neighbor Ivory Coast has not been so peaceful,
suffering months of violence last year after a
disputed election. Near-neighbors Liberia and Sierra
Leone suffered years of war.
Ghana has seen democratic elections decide its
leadership no fewer than four times since the last
military coup in 1981, a rare feat in a region where
power is still just as often determined by the bullet as
by the ballot.
Mills had served as vice-president to President Jerry
Rawlings, a fiery former coup leader, who stood
down in 2000 after two elected terms under the
democratic constitution Rawlings himself had
introduced.
Mills's 2008 victory was his third attempt at the
presidency. He had lost twice to John Kufuor in
elections in 2000 and 2004.
- REUTERS
Our condolonces go out to Ghana and all his loved
ones. May he rest in Peace.
Credit: Mytruspot.com
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