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| Ghana's President John Atta Mills who died unexpectedly on Tuesday [Photo:Reuters] |
By Standard Digital Reporter and Agencies
Ghana's Vice-President John Dramani Mahama took oath of office as Head of State on Tuesday, hours after the announcement of the death of President John Atta Mills, in the capital Accra.
Mahama, 53, will serve as caretaker president until the elections at the end of the year.
Mills, who won international praise for presiding over a stable model democracy in Africa, died suddenly on Tuesday and Mahama was quickly sworn in to replace him at the helm of the oil, gold and cocoa producer.
Mills was 68 and his unexpected death 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.
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.
