Ghanaians went to polls on Saturday with frontrunners Bawumia and opposition NDC party, ex-president John Mahama, facing off in a tight race for the country’s top post.

Touting a slogan “Break the 8” – a reference to the usual two, four-year terms in power – the NPP hopes Bawumia can lead them to an unprecedented third term in office. But he struggled to break away from criticism of Akufo-Addo’s economic record.

Wearing a traditional white smock, Bawumia voted early on Saturday in his hometown of Walewale in the north of Ghana.

“I am very hopeful of winning this election,” he told reporters. “I think we have done a lot of work with our message to the people and the message has been well received.”

A UK-educated economist and former central banker, he points to an economy turning a corner and the government’s continued plans for digitalisation to ease business as well as free education and health programmes.

Ghana’s government temporarily closed all land borders on Friday night through Sunday to “ensure the integrity” of the vote, an interior ministry statement said.

One man was arrested in possession of a weapon at an Accra polling station, Ghana Police said.

Ghana’s struggling economy dominated the election after the West African gold and cacao producer went through a debt default, high inflation and negotiations for a $3 billion IMF bailout.

Voters are choosing a successor to President Nana Akufo-Addo, who steps down after his allowed two, four-year terms, and they will also elect the country’s new parliament.

AFP reports that early morning turnout appeared fairly slow in parts of the capital Accra, but steady in other neighbourhoods with the streets of the capital calm.

Muslim women in colourful headscarves waited on wooden benches in the Nima district while students and shop workers cast their ballots in middle-class Stayaways.

“We want to vote for change, the economic situation is very hard,” retired policeman James Nsiah said, waiting to cast his ballot at a booth in the Jamestown area of Accra.

Polling closed at 1700 GMT and counting started immediately. Early results are expected on Sunday with full presidential results scheduled by Tuesday.

With a history of political stability, Ghana’s two main parties, the current ruling NPP and National Democratic Congress (NDC), have alternated in power almost equally since the return to multi-party democracy in 1992.