Category: Politics

The limited voters registration exercise scheduled to start at 07:00 hours is yet to commence at the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District office of the Electoral Commission (EC) more than four hours after the scheduled time. This is due to 'some nationwide technical challenges' with the Commission's registration kits which is making it difficult for the officials to log in their credentials as well a challenge with the network. The situation has created long queues at the EC's office as scores of registrants, including Senior High School students have thronged the centre in their numbers to partake in the exercise. There have been no physical agitations towards the officials, but many registrants, some of whom claim they arrived as early as 0400 hours, have expressed disquiet with situation. The district EC office is operating two centres; the main centre which has three different teams and a mobile centre dedicated for hard-to-reach communities. It was not clear if the mobile team had started with the process at the time of filing this report, but the main centre was yet to start as of 11:00 hours. Despite their frustrations, the registration centre is calm as registrants are seen sitting and standing and chatting in groups. Madam Eunice Bonsi, the District Electoral Officer, was confident of a stable network earlier in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) as she said unstable power supply was their challenge, but they had secured a generator set against that. 'Normally, if the light goes off, that is when we have network challenges but since we have a standby generator, when it goes off, that means we still have stable network,' she said. She said all materials necessary for the exercise were available and ready and was not anticipating any challenge in that regard. Madam Bonsi predicted a low turnout in this exercise due to the recently held one in 2023 few months back in which they registered about 4,000 new voters. She was hopeful that the entire exercise would be calm and peaceful. Source: Gh ana News Agency

Delays in setting up the software for registration of new voters in the Ablekuma North District Office of the Electoral Commission delayed the commencement of the exercise for more than two hours. Voting was advertised to commence at 0700 hours on Tuesday, but the first person, who had arrived at the registration centre as early as 0600 hours, went through the process at about 0950 hours. Staff of the EC had prepared and were ready to register voters by 0700 hours, but the technical hitch hampered their quest to begin the exercise on time. 'All our logistics are intact, but we are only waiting for the set up.' Mr Francis Opoku, EC Officer in charge of Ablekuma North Municipality, told the Ghana News Agency in an earlier interview. Mr Opoku said the Commission had targeted registering more than 3,600 new voters in the Municipality, adding that adequate measures had been put in place to ensure a smooth exercise throughout the 21-day period. 'We have a standby generator so in the event that the lights go of f, registration will continue,' he said. Turnout at the Ablekuma North registration centre was relatively high as at least 100 applicants, mainly young people who had turned 18 years, were seated prior to the official commencement of the exercise. Agents and constituency officers of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) actively coordinated their activities on the ground. Mr Frederick Green, Ablekuma North Constituency Secretary, NPP, said the Party had deployed teams to visit households to encourage qualified voters to participate in the exercise. He said the Party acknowledged the delays experienced on the first day of the exercise and expressed hope that the situation would improve in subsequent days. Mr Daniel Torniyigah, Director of Elections, NDC, Ablekuma North, said the Party was satisfied with the collaboration with the EC thus far and hoped for a successful exercise in the entire registration period. 'So far so good. We have agreed that the EC will brief the parties every morning,' he said. Source: Ghana News Agency

The commencement of the ongoing Limited Registration Exercise at Keta in the Volta Region, has seen some delays due to a technical challenge. The Limited Voter Registration Exercise would allow new eligible voters who attained the age of 18 years and above to register ahead of the December polls. Mr Philip Adzomani, the Electoral Commission Officer at Keta, disclosed to the Ghana News Agency in an interview that the exercise had been delayed due to some technical hitches with the machines. 'We are facing some technical challenges in capturing the relevant information about the voters into the database,' he said. He, however, stated that the authorities have been informed of immediate action to resolve the challenges for a smooth and successful exercise. Mr Adzomani urged the new registrants and the public to exercise patience 'since our technical men would solve the challenges as soon as possible for the registration to resume.' The GNA observed that, as at 1000 hours, the EC could not register a single person into their database. Some new voters had queued for the exercise, as well as party agents present, expressed disappointment over the development. Meanwhile, the EC at Keta had also arranged for a mobile team which would be at Atiavi Glime L. A basic school, Lawoshime and Anyako/Sava for two days each, starting on Wednesday, May 8, and ending on Saturday, May 13, to register new eligible voters. The Limited registration for eligible voters commenced on Tuesday, May 7 would end on May 27, while persons with missing ID cards would have them replaced on May 30. Compilation of proxy votes and transfer of votes would also be held from May 30 to June 14. Source: Ghana News Agency

The first day of the limited registration exercise across the country by the Electoral Commission (EC) was fraught with a combination of power outage and network challenges in the Asante-Akim South Municipality. The commencement of the exercise which was held at the Municipal office of the Commission delayed due to power outage, leaving registration officials, party agents, and prospective registrants helpless. When power was finally restored, the registration could still not proceed due to a nationwide network challenge. Despite hundreds of people mostly brought to the registration centre by political parties, operators of the Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs) were sitting idle when the Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited the centre. Other registration officials were however filling the forms of prospective registrants as they waited for the network to improve. There was, however, spontaneous excitement among all stakeholders at the centre when the network was restored at exactly 1202 hours Some of the party agents who spoke to the GNA, said they were satisfied with the arrangements for the exercise. They however, entreated the EC to find a lasting solution to the network problem which they said was crucial to the general election on December 7. Mrs. Franca Dei Yeboah, the Municipal Director of EC, said but for the network challenge, her team was set to attend to the prospective registrants without delay. She projected that, at least 120 people would be registered daily all things being equal and called for the cooperation of all stakeholders for a successful exercise. To ensure proximity of the exercise to the people, Mrs. Yeboah said a mobile team would visit three communities during the three-week exercise to register them. She said the team would spend two days each at Kyempo, Dampong and Breku to allow those who could not travel to the Municipal office to get their names on the register. Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Raphael Godlove Ahenu, the Chief Executive Officer of the Global Media Foundation (GloMeF) has advised the youth below 18 years to be guarded, and not allow influences from ambitious politicians and political parties to lure them to register in the new Voters Registration Exercise. The GloMeF is a Sunyani-based anti-corruption media advocacy organisation that works to promote human rights dignity, and further promote the general wellbeing people vulnerable people in society. Mr Ahenu emphasised it was not only a sin against God and humanity for illegible voters to register in the exercise, but also a serious offence under the electoral laws of the country. The Electoral Commission (EC), the nation's electoral management body has set May 7 to May 27 for the new voter's registration exercise to create opportunity for people who had attained 18 years and above to register for the Election 2024. Mr Ahenu indicated that a credible voters register was required to facilitate a peaceful election 2024 and to co nsolidate the gains of the nation's fledgling democracy. In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) as the Electoral Commission (EC) commences the nationwide new Voters Registration Exercise, Mr Ahenu, called on the civil society actors and stakeholders to be interested and followed the registration exercise. Mr Ahenu emphasised that election was not an event, saying a credible voters register would in one way or the other determine the credibility of the December 7, Presidential and Parliamentary elections. There is therefore the need for everybody to show interest, monitor and assist the EC to produce a credible and more secure voters register, he stated. Mr Ahenu expressed worry that publicity on the voter's registration exercise was still poor, however added that the EC alone could not shoulder such responsibility, hence the need for support from all election stakeholders. He said spotlight ought to be put on all activities of the electoral processes, including voter exhibition and voter transfe rs for citizens to understand and appreciate the processes, and contribute towards facilitating a more credible elections on December 7. 'It's rather unfortunate that people are always interested only in the voting day, but that behaviour is not good for building and strengthening our democracy,' Mr Ahenu stated. Mr Ahenu therefore called on everybody to inspire and encourage potential voters or people who had just attained 18 and above but had not registered to do so in order not to be disenfranchised. Voting, he added remained a civil right, and advised the eligible youth to visit the various registration centers and register to be captured on the national voting list. Source: Ghana News Agency