July 8 (Reuters) - Ghana's President John Atta Mills faces the activist wife of former ruler Jerry Rawlings for the ticket of the ruling NDC party in a primary on Saturday.
Following are short portraits of Mills and Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings, an influential gender advocate.
JOHN ATTA MILLS
Mills, who turns 67 later this month, became president at the third attempt in January 2009 when he beat off the challenge of Nana Akufo-Addo of the then-ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in a two-round election.
The ex-Fulbright scholar has a reputation for being incorruptible in a region where official graft is rife, while his low-key, softly spoken manner has earned him the local nickname "king of peace".
Critics accuse the former economics professor of being a plodder and unable to take tough decisions. His schoolmate and one-time mentor Jerry Rawlings, who dominated local politics for two decades after a 1979 coup, has likened him to "a bus driver asleep at the wheel". That perception was unwittingly reinforced by Mills himself last year when he jokingly referred to his own administration as "slow, but sure".
Mills has sought since to combat that image by dubbing 2011 his "action year" and enacting a 2011 budget which foresees a 14 percent rise in spending. The first ruler to oversee Ghana's new-found oil, Mills is likely to be judged by voters -- and history --- on how well he manages the proceeds.
NANA KONADU AGYEMANG-RAWLINGS
Although she has not held elected office, Agyemang-Rawlings, 62, was regarded as a powerful behind-the-scenes force in her husband's 19-year rule, both during his time as military leader and as constitutional president.
She won influence in her own right as the leader of the "31st December Women's Movement" -- a group named after the date of her husband's second coup and which has set up childcare centres and labour schemes for women across Ghana.
She also spearheaded a landmark 1985 law boosting the inheritance rights of widows, who often saw their late husbands' assets divided up among the extended family.
Agyemang-Rawlings is also known for her sharp organisational skills, rallying strong suppport among her women's movement for the ruling NDC party. In early 1998, she was elected as its co-vice-chairwoman but resigned in April to challenge Mills.
A professional designer, Agyemang-Rawlings is known for her flamboyant dress sense. She created a distinctive way of tying headscarves which has been adopted by many members of her women's movement. (Reporting by Kwasi Kpodo in Accra and David Cutler in London; editing by Mark John and Robert Woodward)
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