By KWASI KPODO
Associated Press Writer
ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — The former fighter pilot came to power in a bloody
coup, and for years presided over a brutal dictatorship.

This week, however, President Jerry Rawlings handed over power to a
longtime rival. The former dictator — years ago reconstructed as an
elected leader — watched as the presidential dreams of his chosen
successor were wiped away in a loss at the polls.

But if Rawlings wasn't happy at the outcome, the vote was a rare victory
for democracy in West Africa, where transfers of power more often take
place through coups or civil wars than through the ballot box.

The elections last month and Sunday's inauguration of a new president were
welcomed around the world, both as a sign that civilian rule had taken a
firm hold in Ghana and as a sign of a growing African resolve to bring
power closer to the people.

``With these elections, Ghana has demonstrated that democracy and its
institutions continue to take root in Africa,'' U.N. Secretary-General
Kofi Annan, a Ghana native, said after Mills conceded defeat.

There are other signs that democracy may be gaining ground in parts of the
region. A similar handover of power took place in Senegal last year, after
a party that had held sway for 40 years lost an election to a longtime
rival. Civilian leaders are also now in control of such coup-prone
countries as Nigeria and Niger.

But as is often the case in West Africa, a step forward in one country
often is matched by a step back elsewhere.

In neighboring Ivory Coast, a country once renowned for its stability and
prosperity, a civilian administration was overthrown in a December 1999
coup, setting off turmoil that has yet to end. Just Monday, Ivory Coast's
restored civilian government put down another coup attempt.

Nigeria, meanwhile, has seen thousands killed in continued ethnic and
religious violence since President Olusegun Obasanjo's 1998 election ended
15 years of military rule.

Many observers of Africa see a success like the Ghanaian elections as a
positive sign — but not necessarily an indication of sweeping democratic
change.

``We have seen recently some handovers of power from parties and leaders
that have been there for a long time, but I think it is far too early to
talk about a trend,'' said Marina Ottaway, a senior associate of the
African Policy Initiative for the U.S.-based Carnegie Endowment.

Ghana itself, however, has come a long way in the past two decades.
The country, which has experienced five military regimes since
independence from Britain in 1957, evolved under Rawlings into a
multiparty nation with a flourishing independent press.

Rawlings first took power in a 1979 coup, handing over power briefly to a
civilian leader, before a second coup two years later.

While his regime was marked in the early years by executions and
repression, he embraced democratic and free-market ideals in the 1990s,
becoming a favorite of Western donors.

With his flamboyant personality, passionate speeches and trademark dark
sunglasses, he came to embody the government he headed for almost 20
years. He won multiparty elections in 1992 and 1996, but was barred by the
constitution he approved from seeking another four-year term.

His popularity, however, was hurt by a sharp decline in Ghana's once-
thriving economy. The country was hit in recent years by plummeting
international prices for its main exports, cocoa and gold, and increases
in the price of imported oil.

The economic woes are a large part of what helped President John Kufuor
defeat John Atta Mills, Rawlings' vice president, in a Dec. 28 election
runoff.

Rawlings had been a staunch campaigner for his chosen successor, and the
vote was marred by scattered clashes. But when the results were in, both
Rawlings and Mills congratulated Kufuor and promised to cooperate with the
new government.

``In the days and weeks ahead, some of us will be adapting ourselves to
new roles, but the foremost consideration of all of us must continue to be
the preservation of peace and stability,'' Rawlings said at the time.

Rawlings has said there can be no turning back to Ghana's ``dark days,''
and for the people of this coastal nation, the peaceful handover of power
was confirmation that those days are long gone.

``Ghana has registered itself as one of the key players in bringing
democracy to the continent,'' said Kofi Agyemalg, a social worker who
attended Kufuor's inauguration. ``It is a great moment for Africa ... We
are no longer the land of people regarded as politically immature.''

Yet in his final address as president, at a military parade in his honor,
Rawlings said he still had misgivings about multiparty democracy, noting
``the potential waste of time, resources, energy and social harmony which
can arise from partisan antagonism.''

Rawlings, who was notably absent during Kufuor's inauguration speech, said
the election of an opposition leader is testimony to the solid democratic
foundations that have been built in Ghana.

``We leave it to history to offer the final judgment as to how much we
have done,'' he said.

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