Jean Mensa
The Electoral Commission (EC) says the printing of Notice of Poll and ballot papers for the 2024 general election will begin today.
In a letter addressed to the political parties and signed by Deputy Chairman in charge of Operations, Samuel Tettey, the Commission said the printing would take place at eight printing houses in Accra.
The EC named the printing houses as Secprint Limited, New Achimota; Acts Commercials, Odorkor; Ghana Publishing Company, Accra Central; and Buk Press, Ofankor.
The rest are Innolink Limited, North Industrial Area; Fonstat Limited, South Industrial Area; Check Point Limited, South Industrial Area; and Yasarko Company Limited, Laterbiokorshie.
To ensure transparency and accountability, the Commission has invited agents from the political parties to oversee the printing process.
These agents, according to the EC, were required to attend a briefing session on Thursday, October 10, 2024, at 11:00 am at the Commission’s Corporate Office in Accra.
The electoral management body explained that the party agents would be given a brief orientation before the commencement of the printing.
NDC Opposition
Meanwhile, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called on the EC to suspend the printing of ballot papers pending the resolution of “outstanding issues surrounding the voters’ register credibility.”
National Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, challenged the Commission’s move to print ballot papers using a voters’ register that has not been officially certified yet.
According to him, the EC openly acknowledged vulnerabilities in its system during the last televised IPAC meeting, including incorrectly transferred voters.
Speaking to the media in Ho, he said the Commission vowed to rectify these issues, but the process remains ongoing.
Mr. Asiedu Nketia urged the EC to halt its plans for printing ballot papers “because these papers rely on the finalised voter register, electoral code books, and ballot statistics,” which he indicated should be accessible to all stakeholders.
He asserted that the NDC would persist in demanding fairness from the Electoral Commission to ensure this year’s elections are conducted transparently and satisfactorily for all parties and the Ghanaian public.
EC Response
In a response to the concerns of the NDC, the EC said it had not commenced printing ballot papers and would provide ballot statistics to political parties and printing houses before doing so.
In a statement, EC Deputy Chairman in charge of Operations, Samuel Tettey, explained that printing of Notices of Polls begins today, October 11, 2024, but pointed out that ballot paper printing would only start after stakeholders receive the necessary statistics.
The EC reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, credibility, and fairness in the electoral process, urging the public and stakeholders to trust in their ability to deliver a successful election in December 2024.
By Ernest Kofi Adu