The ballot papers being burnt
The Electoral Commission (EC) has destroyed ballot papers intended to be used for both the presidential and parliamentary elections in the Eastern Region.
The exercise follows the suspension of special voting in the regions after reports emerged about defective ballot papers which was leaked to the public.
The exercise which was carried out under the supervision of the police and the Eastern Regional Elections security task force was closely monitored by agents of both the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Speaking to journalists after the exercise, the Eastern Regional Director of the EC, John Appiah described the exercise as successful given the presence of representatives of the political parties who checked and confirmed all the ballot paper bags before the exercise was undertaken.
“Now, we are burning them, and I must say, it was successful and a very cooperative process from day one. When we brought the ballot papers here, they followed us, checked the seals before we offloaded them, and I have spoken with them. They have agreed with the process.
“We are happy with it. Once they are happy and have seen that it has been very successful, we can be confident in the outcome,” he said
The NDC Eastern Regional Secretary, Jamal Korneh, said he was satisfied with the entire process before they proceeded to set fire to the ballot papers that was rejected by the EC.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah