The Electoral Commission (EC) has indicated its preparedness to ensure a peaceful and successful District Level Elections and Unit Committee Election today.
Thousands of candidates are contesting the December 17, 2019 local level elections across the country with the exception of Nkoranza North and Nkoranza South in the Bono East Region, as well as Lower Manya Krobo in the Eastern Region.
A Deputy Commissioner in charge of Operations at the EC, Samuel Tetteh, at a media encounter on the commission’s preparation, explained that two out of the three districts had their elections in 2018 while in Lower Manya District, the Supreme Court in 2015 ruled that the election in the area be suspended over challenges with electoral area demarcations.
Today’s election would have witnessed even greater enthusiasm had the referendum to open the door for political parties to sponsor candidate at the district level not been aborted.
Three weeks to the election, President Akufo-Addo was compelled to cancel the referendum citing lack of consensus after the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) made a U-turn and started campaigning for a ‘No’ vote which was going to jeopardise the ‘Yes’ agenda.
At yesterday’s news conference, Mr. Tettey said that with the exception of the three districts, voting would take place at all polling stations commencing from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm.
“All eligible voters are, therefore, urged to go to their respective polling stations to cast their votes,” he urged.
According to him, registered voters whose voters ID cards are missing can vote since the voter’s particulars are in the final voters register.
He recounted the necessary preparatory exercise undertaken by the commission such as limited voter registration exercise, exhibition of voters register, transfer of votes and proxy, receipt of nominations, among others.
He said about 159,000 election officials trained for the exercise had been deployed to their various locations for the process to commence.
Mr. Tettey further stated that provisions had been made to exclude persons with disabilities (PWDs) from waiting in long queues to cast their ballot.
He said because of their physical challenges “persons with disabilities will not be required to join long queues in order to vote.”
BY Melvin Tarlue