BALLOT PAPERS ARRIVED IN CENTRAL REGION

By Lisette Hummelink & Kwamina Bamfo-Agyei

For the majority of Ghana, a considerably important week has started. Dozens of people are counting down the days until Friday the 7th: Election Day.

 The clock is ticking, and it’s time to move Ghana forward, starting with distributing the ballot boxes for not only coming Friday, but also tomorrow, when the Special Election will take place.

At 9 am today, exactly 82 bags containing the presidential ballot papers and 72 bags containing the  parliamentary ballot papers, arrived in Cape Coast. Candidates for Cape Coast constituency, people working for the Electoral Commission making sure the dropping of the bags will go smoothly, journalists and other interested citizens gathered at the main police station.

The Central Regional Director of the Electoral Commission, Philomena Edusei, revealed this to Central Press in an exclusive interview. She noted that the commission is ready for the general elections. She said tomorrow, December 4^th 2012, the commission will organize the special voting for both the security and electoral commission officers since they will be on duty on the 7^th December 2012 for both the presidential and parliamentary elections all over Ghana.

PPP AND NPP WORRY ABOUT POOR CONDITION OF ELECTORAL BAGS

The Progressive People’s Party Parliamentary Candidate for Cape Coast North Sarah Mary Bucknor is not happy with the electoral process involving the sealing of the bag containing the ballot papers. She said both the NPP and NDC have their tags on the bag and the PPP was not informed.

She appealed to the Electoral commission to be fair with all the political parties including the Progressive People’s Party.

Nevertheless, there is a sudden mood switch noticeable. Comprehensible, since far more than one bag with ballot papers seems to be either lacerated, have a broken zipper, or have ballot papers sticking out. Sarah Mary Bucknor, PPP-candidate for Cape Coast south Constituency, states: “The arriving of the bags proceeds smoothly, just the quality of some bags is very poor, in terms of zippers, and ripped or torn material. The Electoral Commission should make sure that every bag that is used, is locked and in good order, to keep the voting on Friday as candid as possible!”
In a related development the  NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Cape Coast South Alfred  George Thompson  is calling on the Electoral Commission to provide better quality bags containing  the ballot boxes. He was optimistic that by God’s help he will win the seat comes December 7^th 2012.

The Convention People’s Party Parliamentary Candidate for Cape Coast South Ato Aidoo-Nyanor was called on the electorates to vote massively for the party so as to experience the development in the area.

The Central Regional Director of the Electoral Commission Philomena Edusei does not see the point of worrying over the bags, like PPP and also NPP do. “We had a meeting with them and told them how it was going to be. Transporting the bags got them a little bit wrought, but we figured that the concern would not be that big. After all, everybody here is watching them very closely, which means that nothing will happen to the ballot papers. Everybody is carefully guarding them.” Mrs. Edusei noted.

Despite the condition of some of the bags, the ballot papers arrived in the constituency safely, and tomorrow the first official voting will take place at the Police Station and the University of Cape Coast. As Mrs. Edusei told, is this voting for National Officers and Security, the people working on the actual big day: coming Friday.