Ghanaians went to polling stations on Sunday morning to elect a new president and the National Assembly.

The country's Electoral Commission said 21,004 polling stations had been set up nationwide for some 12.8 million registered voters.

Supporters of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, presidential candidate of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) take part in canvassing activity in Accra, capital of Ghana, on Dec. 5, 2008. [Xinhua]

Eight candidates have registered for the presidential race, and various opinion polls have signaled Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and John Evans Atta Mills of the main opposition party National Democratic Congress (NDC) to be the top two hopefuls.

For the parliamentary election, a total of 1,060 candidates have filed nominations to contest for seats in the 230-seat legislature. Major competing parties include the NPP, the NDC, the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), and the Peoples National Convention (PNC).

Supporters of the New Patriotic Party attend an election campaign in Accra, Ghana, on Dec. 5, 2008.[Xinhua]