Ghana Votes

Friday, March 30, 2012

Ghana Elections 2012 Daily News Review - 30th March, 2012

We begin the day's review with stories on the front pages of both the Daily Graphic and Ghanaian Times about the IGP's assurance of peace during the ongoing biometric voters registration exercise. The former reports that "Police to deal ruthlessly with troublemakers – IGP". The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), has warned that the police will deal resolutely with people who foment trouble at registration centres during the ongoing biometric voters registration exercise. He assured all qualified applicants that their safety was guaranteed and urged them to go out in their numbers to register to enable them to exercise their franchise in the December general election. The Ghanaian Times employs the headline IGP assures all eligible voters of protection in reporting the same story. The Inspector-General of Police, Paul Tawiah Quaye, has assured Ghanaians of maximum police protection against the activities of miscreants and hooligans during the on-going biometric voter registration exercise.

Still with regards to the registration exercise, Student politicians urged to educate people on biometric voting. Representatives of the four political parties have called on the youth, especially the educated, to make use of their technological knowledge to preach for peaceful election in the coming election. The Ghanaian Times adds that they were also to use their various platforms to educate members of their community about the importance of the biometric registration exercise.

More education on the registration exercise as Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF) Ghana, a non-profit women centered NGO, has trained 75 young people between the ages of 18 to 25 years as peer educators to sensitize their peers to the biometric voter registration in three districts. Covering the headline Peer educators to sensitize peers to registration exercise, the Daily Graphic in addition adds that the districts are Akatsi in the Volta Region, Ga West in the Greater Accra  and Suhum Kraboa Coaltar in the Eastern Region. It is formed part of a series of activities to engage young men and women in the 2012 general elections.

Following the hitches experienced in the voters' registration exercise, the District Chief Executive for the Talensi-Nabdam District Assembly, Vivian Anafo has suggested an increase in the number of technical personnel engaged in the ongoing biometric registration exercise organized by the Electoral Commission (EC). She said this would help facilitate the process in a quick pace and also ensure that officials deployed to centres could contain the pressure, as well as the crowd that may show up during the exercise. This is what The Heritage newspaper reports under the caption "EC urged to deploy more facilitators in the biometric registration".

Also in the Ghanaian Times, the EC has been urged to Extend the biometric registration period. The New Patriotic Party parliamentary candidate for the Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo Constituency of the Northern Region, Mr. Solomon N. Boar, has appealed to the Electoral Commission to consider extending the time and the number of days for the registration exercise, especially in the constituency. Speaking to the Times on telephone, Mr. Boar explained that "a lot of people would be disenfranchised in the December general elections because some of the constituencies are very large and, therefore, it is necessary that people walk long distances before they can reach the registration centres.

 The boundary dispute that ensued between Arigu and Guborigu communities near Pwalugu in the Upper East region leading to four persons with various degrees of injuries is expected to be resolved amicably as the Northern and Upper East Regional Security Councils (REGSECs) have resolved to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and the Boundary Council. The on-going Biometric Voter Registration at Guborigu was disrupted on Monday March 26.The Guborigu people accused the Arigu people for the attack and subsequently arson on their houses that caused major loss of food stuff belonging to Guborigu residents. This is how The Chronicle reports that Northern and Upper East REGSECs move to resolve Arigu and Guborigu boundary dispute.

Away from the ongoing registration exercise and to political party activities, Bodies to Enforce Parties Code of Conduct has been Inaugurated. Three separate bodies that would enforce the political parties' code of conduct for the December general elections in the Greater Accra, Eastern and the Volta regions have been inaugurated in Koforidua. Additionally, the Daily Graphic adds that the three bodies each with representation from the police, political parties, the clergy and the National Commission on Civil Education are headed by Monsignor Anthony Konu, Dr. Emmanuel Agyeman Manu and Dr. Emmanuel Djokoto all from the Catholic Secretariat representing the Volta, Eastern and the Greater Accra regions respectively.

As we round up on the day's review, the Daily Graphic reports that The Great consolidated Popular Party,(GCPP)is to host its National delegate's congress in May, this year, in preparation toward the December7,2012 general election, with the headline GCPP to go to congress in May. Dr. Henry H. Lartey, the chairman of the GCPP, said this during an interaction with newsmen in Sunyani in the company of some GCPP officials after going round to see how the biometric voter's registration got off in Sunyani.


This daily news review is compiled by African Elections Project (AEP) Media Monitoring Centre, Accra, Ghana.

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Thursday, March 29, 2012

Ghana Elections 2012 Daily News Review - 29th March, 2012

Today's news review takes us to the sixth day of the biometric registration exercise as it receives maximum attention from the newspapers. The electoral Commission (EC) will soon come out with a list of the first batch of people who are suspected to have engaged in multiple registration in the ongoing biometric voters registration exercise. Under the headline, Multiple Registration Detected… Culprits to be prosecuted, the Daily Graphic adds that the Chairman of the EC, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, who made this known, stated that the commission would conduct its investigations on the culprits for prosecution.

In a related story, the paper informs us that 6 charged with interfering in registration exercise. Six  persons  were yesterday  put before  the Accra Circuit  Court  charged with two counts  of  conspiracy  and interfering   with  the ongoing  biometric  voters registration  exercise  at  Taifa –Dome in Accra. They are Kingsley Awuni a farmer, Kofi Ofori, student Kwabena Boateng driver, Prince Charles Oduro alias   soldier, trader, Edward Anato Linkoh student and Zakaria Amid Driver.

The Ghanaian Times in reporting the above story uses the caption 6 'machomen' granted bail. The six machomen, who were arrested for allegedly disrupting the ongoing biometric voters' registration exercise at a registration centre in Accra, were yesterday granted bail in the sum of GH¢50,000 when they were arraigned before an Accra circuit court. Police prosecutors told the court that the six claimed they were recruited by the Dome-Kwabenya Constituency chairman of the New Patriotic Party, to assist NPP members in the area to register.

It is in relation to the development above that the Ashanti Regional Director of the Electoral Commission, Samuel Tettey has stated that machomen are not recognized by the commission as peacekeepers for general elections. He has, therefore cautioned emerging macho men associations to stay away from the country's electoral processes to avoid confusion and chaos. This information is covered by the Daily Graphic in the headline "Macho men not recognized as peacekeepers-EC ".

More news on the biometric registration exercise indicates that some Burkinabes have been grabbed in Biometric. Alleged machinations to encourage foreigners in the Ellembelle and Evalue-Gwira constituencies in the Western Region to take part in the ongoing biometric registration exercise have been uncovered. Reliable sources at the two constituencies told Daily Guide that in their bid to get more votes in the December general elections, activists of the National Democratic Congress(NDC) were urging foreigners, mainly  Burkinabes  and  Ivorians  working in different  plantations in the area ,to register and vote for the ruling party in the December 7.2012 general elections. The paper also informs us that Immigration Officers have stopped Foreigners. As the two main political parties in Ghana, National Democratic Party and New Patriotic Party trade allegations against each   for facilitating the registration of foreigners in order to vote for them, personnel of the Ghana Immigration Service at the Misiga Border have confiscated some National Identification cards form some foreigners. These confiscated ID cards goes to prove claims that indeed some foreigners are holding Ghanaian Identification  documents, contrary to the laws of the country.

Violence continues to characterize the ongoing exercise as 16 NPP Supporters Slashed At Asunafo. Sixteen Activists of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the Sankore, Datano and Nobekaw, all in the Asunafo South District of the Brong Ahafo region have been butchered on the on-going biometric registration exercise in the area. The Daily Guide adds that the fatal incidents, which happened at separate times over the weekend, were reported to have been orchestrated by arms-wielding fanatics of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) who have made the area a 'no –go area' for the main opposition party.

Meanwhile another report indicates that the Offinso DCE, MP Clash. A bloody incident nearly occurred at the Offinso North district police command on Monday afternoon when the District Chief Executive (DCE) of the area and  the area's  Member of Parliament(MP) clashed, Daily Guide has learnt. Report reaching the paper indicate that Mr.Appiah Kubi, the DCE and Hon Collins Ntim, the MP clashed at the police station over a misunderstanding  that erupted  at a registration center at Nkenkaasu,a town in the district.

In the wake of the violent situations, the Greater Accra branch  of the opposition  New Patriotic  Party  has  called  on the security  agencies  in the  country  to exercise  a high  level  of professionalism  in the  face of  current  development in the  ongoing  Biometric  Registration Exercise. With the headline "NPP calls for professionalism and fairness on the part of security agencies", The Chronicle reports that according  to  the party , the registration  exercise  has been fraught  with  cases of  ''intimidation threats harassment and disruption  of  queues   by  elements ( hoodlums) believed to  be agents  of the  ruling National  Democratic  Congress (NDC) within  perceived New Patriotic  Party (NPP) strong holds''.

NRSC urges political parties to ensure accident-free campaigns, the Daily Graphic reports, adding that the National Road Commission (NRSC) is asking political party leaders to restrain their followers from careless driving in the 2012 political campaign season. Road crashes   have been relatively high during election years since 1992. Statistics available at the NRSC   indicate that road accidents in election years have increased from 914 in 1992; to 1,049 in 1996; 2.186 in the 2008 campaign season.

 Eligible voters must cooperate with EC –RT Revd Mensah. The Kumasi Metropolitan Archbishop of the Catholic Church Rt Rev. Thomas  Kwaku  Mensah  has urged all eligible  voters to fully  cooperate with Electoral  Commission to make  the ongoing  biometric  voters registration exercise  a success, the Daily Graphic states. Launching a project  on the ongoing  biometric registration  exercise in Kumasi on Sunday  dubbed, Civic  Agenda  for Smooth  Political Transition(CAST), Archbishop Mensah  said it was only  when  all eligible  voters exercise their  responsibilities dutifully, that  we could  deepen  democratic  governance in the Country.

Closing the chapter on the day's review is a report from the Ghanaian Times that the Brong-Ahafo Regional Director of Education, Dr. George Adjei-Hinneh, has advised teachers not to engage in active partisan political activities. He called on those interested in active partisan politics to resign their appointments.

This daily news review is compiled by African Elections Project (AEP) Media Monitoring Centre, Accra, Ghana.

Follows us on twitter @Ghanaelections

Only one registration kit for Valley View University creates anxiety

Oyibi, March 28, GNA - Most students and staffs of Valley View University (VVU) are likely to be disenfranchised because only one registration kit is available on campus.


About 3,000 people in the University are eligible to register, but the availability of only one registration kit is creating anxiety among students and other residents. Mr Prince Jonathan Yamoah, Registration Officer at the centre, disclosed this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday.


He pointed out that the registration team was able to register only about 100 people daily which was woefully inadequate considering the number of eligible students and people from the electoral area. "Due to this, we have stopped filling forms for eligible voters in other to finish with those who started the registration process on Tuesday."


Mr Yamoah called for additional registration kits to be made available to the centre in order to fast track the registration process. Mr Ato Kwamina Wilson, a staff of Ministry of Trade and Industry, expressed disappointment about the slow pace of the registration exercise saying that although he was given a day's off to get registered, that possibility was fast waning.


"I started coming here when the registration began on Saturday, but could not register and therefore, given a day's off in order to registration but all to no avail."


Mr Francis Agyison, a resident of Bush Canteen near VVU, complained that although he came to the centre around 0500, as at 1215 when GNA visited the centre, he had still not been registered.


In a related development, a polling agent of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at VVU Registration Centre, Alfred Boadu, was slapped by Alhaji Joseph Tetteh, Kpone Kantamanso National Democratic Congress (NDC) Constituency Organiser.


This was after Mr Boadu continuously interrupted conversation he was having with the Registration Officer on allegations that some people from the electoral area were being prevented from registering at the VVU Centre due to the large number of applicants at the centre.


The case was confirmed by Detective Sergeant John Afawumoh, Station CID Officer, who issued Mr Boadu a  medical form after he reported his ordeal to the Police.

 

Source: GNA

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Ghana Elections 2012: Electoral Commission Telephone Helpline

HELPLINE
Call these contact numbers if you need help
REGIONS CONTACTS
Greater Accra 0289013902
Eastern 0289013911
Western 0289013913
Volta 0289013914
Upper West 0289013920
Central 0289013915
Brong Ahafo 0289013910
Ashanti 0289013908
Upper East 0289013903
Northern 0289013909





Ghana Electoral Commission

MP Annan tours registration centres

Dr. Joseph S. Annan, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industries, over the weekend appealed to inhabitants of the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) constituency to take advantage of the on-going biometric registration exercise in order not to be disenfranchised.

Dr. Annan who is also the Member of Parliament for KEEA made the appeal when he toured a number of registration centres in his constituency to see how the exercise was going.

Dr. Annan said failure to register will deny them of their right to vote during the December general election and called on his constituents to register massively to enable them to elect the right leader for the country.

He appealed to the electorate to co-operate with the registration officers to ensure a successful exercise.

Dr. Annan later registered at the Amotoe Roman Catholic registration centre at Komenda.

Source: GNA

Ghana Elections 2012 Daily News Review - 28th March, 2012

Day five of the biometric voter registration exercise and most of the dailies have chronicled various violent incidences characterizing the exercise across the country. The Ghanaian Times reports that about 10 injured in clash during registration as residents of Arigu and Guborigo in the Upper East Region attacking each other with guns, cutlass, cudgels and stones over issue over the location of a registration centre

The Daily Guide similarly covers a story on NPP, NDC clash triggering thhe Ashanti  Regional Police command  sending  more  armed  police  personnel  to Adansi  Akrofuom to maintain peace and order and guard the biometric  registration exercise in the area after a clash  between  the supporters of National Democratic  Congress (NDC) and  New  Patriotic Party(NPP). The incident, which happened around 8:30pm on Monday, left one person with cutlass wounds and some residents fleeing the community.

The Daily Guide also reports that Bloodbath Mars Techiman Registration. The Biometric  registration  at Taakofiano  polling station  in the Techiman Municipality  in the Brong Ahafo  Region turned  bloody  when a group of National Democratic Congress (NDC) macho  men , armed  with  machetes  and guns , stormed the  center and started slashing people  who had queued to register. At  about 2pm on that fateful day  the macho men  numbering twenty  led  by one Kwadwo Cocaine and the NDC  Youth  Organizer, Ibrahim rushed  to the center in seven cars loaded with thugs  and started threatening those in the queue.

Still on violence and in the Ashanti Region, following persistent violation of the electoral rules by a section of the youth at the Asafo Zion School registration centre at the Subin constituency in Kumasi, which has been creating insecurity, the Registration Officer, Mr. Addae  Frimpong , has threatened to suspend the exercise. He told the Daily Graphic that unless the military intervened to create the needed peaceful atmosphere at the centre, the lives of the registration officials and eligible candidates would be at stake as there is Infraction at Asafo Zion school registration centre.

As opposed to the violent situation in the Ashanti Region, the Daily guide reports of Smooth Registration Exercise in the Western Region.  The paper explains that the ongoing biometric  voters' registration  exercise in the Western  Region is progressing  smoothly , according  to Western  Regional Director of the Electoral Commission , Stephen  Opoku  Mensah. In a brief  interview  with Daily Guide yesterday, he said  various  reports  from 18 electoral  officers in the  region indicated  everything  was moving smoothly  except  for a few  complaints that  some  webcams  did  not  function  properly . The cameras he said were quickly repaired by the technicians at the centers.

We proceed with challenges on the biometric registration as Woman's thumb won't print. A 50 – year old trader in Sunyani, Madam Augustina  Amponsah Manu, encountered problems at a biometric registration centre as her finger-prints could not be taken by the machine, despite numerous attempts. Her hands were washed and rinsed in foamy detergents, but her finger-prints could not  be taken, prompting some people in the queue to suggest she takes a glass of local gin(Akpeteshie) to "re-ignite her cells" to make it possible for her fingers to become detectable, the Ghanaian Times reports.

Information reaching  Daily Guide indicates that drama unfolded at Techimatia GPRTU main  lorry  station  when a young man  believed to be in his twenties took to his heels on Saturday  when questioned  about authenticity of the voter's ID card he brought to the polling station  as evidence to register. Apparently the ID number F301605, was supposed to be  coming  from  the Ashanti  Region  but it was fairly new, indicating  that it was one of the new ones  that was  alleged to be  coming  from  the Brong Ahafo regional minister's outreach, the paper reports under the headline Fake Cards hit Biometric Centres.

One other irregularity reported by the Daily Guide is the issue of a Togolese Registering in the Volta Region. Reports indicate that Togolese Nationals with assistance from some Ghanaians believed to be NDC activists are clandestinely taking part in the ongoing biometric exercise in the Volta region. According to the paper's investigation, Togolese are being assisted by NDC activists and some registration officials to take part in the ongoing exercise along some borders towns within the Ho municipality namely Atikpui, Shia and Klave.

Following the aberrations characterized by the biometric registration exercise, the PNC accuses EC of purchasing inferior kits. The Daily Graphic adds that the People's National Convention (PNC) has accused the Electoral commission (EC) of Ghana of purchasing inferior kits for the biometric registration exercise. That, it said, accounted for the numerous reports from all over the country about the breakdown and freezing of some of the machines used for the registration exercise.

As we draw down the curtains on the day's review, news reaching AEP reveals that Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia returns to the country to fight for the NPP vice presidential slot. According to the Daily Graphic, the New Patriotic Party's National Council is billed to hold a meeting with Nana Akufo-Addo at the University of Ghana where the final decision of who partners Akufo-Addo for the December Presidential election will be settled.

This daily news review is compiled by African Elections Project (AEP) Media Monitoring Centre, Accra, Ghana.

Follows us on twitter @Ghanaelections

 

 

 

 

BA Police to ensure peace at registration centres

 The Brong-Ahafo Regional Police Command,  has formed special police patrol teams to ensure law and order during the on-going biometric voters' registration  in the region.
     
This followed alleged clash between supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at a registration center at Kukuom in Asunafo South District at the weekend.    
      
Three people suspected to be members of the NDC, sustained gunshot wounds and were on admission at Hwidiem Government hospital as a result of the clash.
      
Similar violent clashes were  reported in  parts of Asutifi and Sunyani West Districts, as well as Techiman Municipality since the exercise began last weekend.
     
Consequently, the Regional Security Council met on Monday March 26, 2012, to find solutions to the problem.
      
Mr. Issah Nasigre, Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education, disclosed these at an emergency meeting of the Regional Inter-Party Dialogue Committee in Sunyani on Tuesday.
      
The 20-member committee is made up of representatives of the NDC, NPP, Convention People's Party, People's National Convention,  Ghana Journalists' Association, the Police,  Electoral Commission (EC), National Peace Council and the clergy.
      
Mr. Nasigre explained that despite the challenges, the registration took off smoothly in the region, and said the EC provided all the materials needed for the exercise.
     
He called on leaders of various political parties to ensure that their followers and agents conducted themselves well at registration centers to avoid confusion. 
       
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mawunyo Nangbe of the Regional Police Command said the police would ensure that the exercise was conducted peacefully.
     
He warned that the police would arrest and prosecute anybody or group of persons whose conduct would threaten peace.    

     
Father George Kyeremeh, Director of the Sunyani Diocesan Pastoral and Retreat Center of the Catholic Secretariat, chairman of the committee, said efforts to ensure peace during the upcoming general election would be in vain if supporters of political parties continued to trade insults at each other.
     
He called on Inter-Party Dialogue Committees in the region to find solution to political problems.

 
Source: GNA

Nkrumah flats Registration officials appeal for protection

Registration officials at the Nkrumah Flats at Larterbokorshie in Accra have appealed to the Electoral Commission (EC) and the security services to provide them with sufficient protection to ward off unscrupulous political party members.

"Their continuous presence to our registration centre is not only disruptive to the exercise, but also endangers our lives as they periodically engage in arguments which normally result in insults and hostile responses."
   
Miss Paulina Mamley, Registration Officer in-charge of Special Duties at the centre, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that most of the people believed to be coming from Zongo-Junction, Abossey Okai and Flamingo areas spend the whole day arguing over NDC and NPP until they close.

She said the people numbering over 20 are usually on motor-bikes which fuse and loud engine sound disturb the peace and orderliness of the biometric registration exercise at the centre.

She said: "I believe they are disturbing here because there are no security men and we will be happier if the EC and Police service provide us with some men to halt this harassment,
  
Sometimes, they even rush to our tables disrupting us with unnecessary questions and we think in the interest of the people here, the provision of the Police will stem the disturbances."
   
GNA's interaction with some of the people revealed that they had no business at the Flats and at the Registration Centre, but only to create confusion in the area.
 
While a lot of them had party emblems embossed on their motorbikes, others were seen openly arguing as to which party would win in the forthcoming elections in December.
   
The GNA witnessed an argument among the supporters, where the NDC supporters said they would continue to win elections until 2032, while NPP supporters retorted that President Mills was going to set a record in the Fourth republic as the only President to have had a one term (four years).
   
Meanwhile, some of the people have also criticized the registration officials for closing earlier than the stipulated 1800 hours closing time.

Miss Mamley explained to the GNA that they do not close, but stop admitting people after 1700 hours in order to finish processing the particulars of those they had registered before 1800 hours.
   
"If we do not stop them at that time, we shall end up closing after 1900 hours", she concluded.

Source: GNA

Inability by people to give particulars marring registration exercise

The inability of people to provide their house numbers, names of their home town, has been identified as a major problem confronting the biometric voter registration exercise.Mr Octavian Afrim, an Assistant Registration Officer of the Atimatim Clinic Centre, in the Kwabre West Constituency of Ashanti Region, told the Ghana Agency that public education is needed on the issue.
     
He said the initial technical challenges have been resolved and that all is going well. So far the centre had issued 387 voter identification cards.
At the Atimatim Presbyterian Church, Mr Frank Kwasi Kloh, the Registration Officer said 288 people have been registered.
    
The atmosphere at all the centres was calm as the party agents of the two leading political parties watched things closely.

Source: GNA

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Ghana Elections 2012 Daily News Review - 27th March, 2012

The ongoing biometric voter registration which has so far been characterized by various incidents takes precedence on all the electoral news in our review today. First, the Daily Graphic reports that a Nigerian has been arrested for registration fraud and he became the first foreign casualty of the ongoing biometric voters registration exercise when he was arrested for attempting to assist three  of his compatriots to register. Although the suspect, Banwo Abiodun Ashimiu, 34, had successfully registered in the Odododiodoo Constituency on Sunday, his attempt to  aid his compatriots to register at  the Apostolic Registration Centre in the Ablekuma South  Constituency yesterday failed when agents of the New Patriotic Party(NPP) sounded the alarm bells.


We continue with a similar story from the Daily Guide which indicates that 6 Arrested for Electoral Offences. The paper says six macho men have been arrested by the Accra Regional Police Command for electoral offences at Taifa in Accra. The six namely Kingsley Awuni,50,Edward Anafo Lincoln,26,Prince Oduro Charles aka Soldier,25,Kwabena Boateng,35,Kofi Ofori,24 and Zakari Abdul hameed,35,told the police during interrogation that they were detailed by the NPP Dome Kwabenya Constituency Chairman to patrol the various registration centres to ensure the smooth running of the exercise.


The Daily Guide adds that fingerprints of labourers and factory workers, according to EC officers at some polling stations, could not to be taken by the biometric device, even after the labourers had severally washed  their hands with soap in a their headline Machine Rejects Labourers .


The Biometric registration exercise which kicked stared across the nation on Saturday has been fraught with difficulties in Kumasi, the Ashanti regional capital, due to faulty equipment. With the headline Faulty Equipment   Disrupt Exercise, the Daily Graphic reports that the kits, particularly scanners and laptops used for taking fingerprints   and imputing data, were not functioning at most of the registration centres.


The daily Guide also reports that intermittent breakdowns Delay Registration. In the northern region  causing doubt about the EC's ability to meet the deadline. The intermittent breakdown of scanners, cameras and other equipment, according to polling station officials, was among many reasons accounting for the delay in the exercise.


Ghanaians are assured that Biometric numbers not by sequence. SUPERLOCK TECHNOLOGIES Limited, the Israeli company commissioned by the Electoral Commission (EC) to bring in the equipment for the biometric registration exercise, has assured Ghanaians that there is no fraud involved in the equipment 'failure to number the registering public in sequential order. In addition, The Chronicle says the  machines  have been programmed not to give  sequential  numbers in order to prevent  miscreants hacking into it and making unauthorized entries, Mr. Guy Schmuel , Head of the Information  Communication Technology(ICT) Division of  the company, explained at  a media briefing in Accra, yesterday.


Monitoring of the biometric registration exercise shows that there is Slow Registration at La. A slow information recording procedure coupled with poor participation from prospective voters at the La Dadekotopon constituency marred the biometric registration exercise which began last Saturday. Potential voters at various centres visited by Daily Guide complained about the long procedure they had to go through before being issued with their voter's ID card.


Still on the registration exercise, the Ghanaian Times reports that many registration centres continued to have  long queues  of potential voters  eager to register in the ongoing  biometric  exercise which  entered its third day yesterday. The times on Monday visited a number of centres and found long queues with people waiting patiently to go through the exercise to acquire new ID cards for the forthcoming general elections.


Ghanaians have been urged not to rush to go and register in a different electoral area. A report from the Ghanaian Times has Mr. Emmanuel Abeam Danso the Ho Municipal Director of the Electoral  Commission of Ghana(EC)  cautioning residents who leave  their local electoral  areas  to go and register in other electoral areas that they were ceding their eligibility to vote their assembly  members in district assembly elections. Mr. Danso  was reacting  to concerns  raised on Saturday by Mr. Robert Saluma, National Democratic  Congress (NDC) agent  at the STC Terminus Bankoe registration  centre, that people  were moving from other  electoral areas to register even  before  the registration team  got  to their  electoral areas.


Ending the news on biometric registration is a story from the Daily Guide about the NDC, NPP trading Blows. Representatives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) nearly exchanged  blows at the Great Tess Junior High School(JHS)biometric  registration centre at Tepa  in the  Ahafo –Ano North Constituency  of the Ashanti region on Saturday afternoon. This unpleasant spectacle, which disrupted the registration exercise for almost 30 minutes, occurred when a student who claimed to be 19 years went to the centre to register.


On security during the elections, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has pledged its support to ensure peace in the country before and after elections as it considers the biometric voters registration exercise as a civic responsibility and a constitutional obligation. At a recent dialogue in Accra organized by the Electoral Commission (EC) dubbed; "Enhancing the credibility of  2012 Elections; Dialoguing on Biometric Voter Registration with the Military", the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) of GAF, Lieutenant General Peter Augustine Blay, assured the EC of the military's full participation in the registration exercise. The New Crusading Guide captures this with the headline Military Assures Peace.


In a related news, which brings us to the end of today's review, The Chronicle states that Minister warns machomen to stay away…..say EC has adequate security arrangement. The  Ashanti  Regional  Minister, Dr. Kwaku  Agyemang –Mensah  given  the  assurance that adequate security  arrangements had been put in place to ensure a successful biometric registration exercise in the Region. He said, in line with the President' s avowed quest for peace to prevail before, during and after the 2012 general elections, the Electoral Commission(EC) had  ensured adequate security arrangements for the registration exercise across the Country.


AEP

Minors who register will deny themselves future opportunities

 Ho, March 27, GNA – Minors who would cheat by registering in the ongoing Biometric Voter Registration Exercise would be limiting their chances in age-related opportunities in the future.

  Ms. Laurentia Kpatakpa, Volta Regional Director of the Electoral Commission, gave the caution at a workshop for youth, religious, women's groups and the media in Ho on Monday.

It was under the theme, "Enhancing the Credibility of the 2012 Ghana Election; Dialogue on Biometric Voter Registration."
  

 Ms Kpatakpa, therefore, urged those below 18 years to resist any attempts at getting them to register as voters.
     

  This is because the use of the cards would not be limited to elections but for other purposes when age determination would be crucial.
 

   She gave the assurance that the exercise could not be manipulated to any group's political advantage.
  

 Ms Kpatakpa appealed for public cooperation and patience towards resolving teething problems associated with the registration.
  

She said the exercise was to assist in compiling a new voters 'register, which would not permit the use of the old voter identity cards in the 2012 elections.
  

Ms Kpatakpa, therefore, advised those of voting age, whether they possessed the old voter identity cards or not, to take advantage of the current registration to get their names on the new register.

 
Source: GNA


Insufficient education slowing down the registration exercise

 Amanfrom -Torkuse (GAR), March 27, GNA –A registration officer has partially attributed the congestion at the various biometric voter registration centres to insufficient education by the Electoral Commission (EC) and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) on the process.

 

  Ms Adelaide Opei-Kumi, Registration Officer at the Amanfrom Metropolitan Assembly Primary School Polling Centre, said the information on the process did not go down well with the communities because most people did not know that the exercise was in phases and would last for 40 days.

Consequently, many prospective voters, who believed they had to register in the first 10 days, had been rushing to be registered at centres that were not designated for their specific areas.

 

   Ms Opei-Kumi,  who made the observation in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, (GNA) on Monday said, the mad rush, apart from giving them extra work, was also slowing down the process and advised the public to wait for their turn as scheduled.

 

    The Electoral Commission started a nationwide Biometric Voter Registration Exercise on Saturday to give Ghana's democracy a further boost by ensuring a more credible voter register with its allied benefits for the December polls and beyond.

   The first phase, which started on March 24, would end on April 2.  The second phase would continue from April 4 to13 with the third phase from April 15to 24 while the final phase would run from April 26 to May 5.

It is expected to capture the data of about 12 million potential electorates.

 

     According to the EC, four polling stations have  been combined to form a cluster of registration points and has advised all Ghanaians of 18 years and above with sound mind to take advantage of the opportunity to register.

 

     The EC has trained about 42,000 temporal personnel to operate the 7,000 Digital Registration Kit for the exercise. In addition to the temporal registration officials, EC personnel, Commission members, agents of political parties and the media are monitoring the process to inject vigilance.


Source: GNA

Two communities clash over biometric voter’s registration exercise

Pwalugu(UE), March 26, GNA- About ten people are reported injured in Arigu and Guborigu near Pwalugu in the Talensi Nabdam District of the Upper East Region as result of disagreement over  the biometric voter's registration exercise.
     In addition six houses including food stuff were burnt while roads were blocked, making it difficult for movements of people.
   
 This came to light when the Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, the Member of Parliament for Talensi-Nabdam, Mr John Akolgo Tia and  District Chief Executive, Mrs Vivian Anafo visited the communities to ascertain the situation.

    Geographically the Arigu and Guborigu communities are in the Northern Region but it is near to the Upper East Region and have since 1992 been exercising their franchise in the Talensi-Nabdam constituency.
    When officials of the Electoral Commission (EC) came to conduct the biometric voter's registration for the two communities, the Arigu community drove them away.
    This led to the clash as the Guborigu Community did not understand why they should be prevented from partaking in the exercise.
   
The Regional Minister appealed to the communities to remain calm whilst the Regional  Security Council and that of the Northern Regional Security Council find amicable solution to the problem.
    He warned that government would not sit down aloof for people to take the law into their  own hands and would deal drastically with anybody who would abuse the law.  

   Mr Jacob Kamzoni Mbah   the son of the Chief of Arigu explained that had made several appeals to the EC that the two communities were not part of the Upper East and demanded to be part of the Northern to no avail.
       Meanwhile the injured persons have been sent to both the Bolgatanga Regional and the Tamale Regional Hospitals for treatment.

Source: GNA



CODEO deploys 50 field election observers



   The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), has deployed 50 field observers to undertake roaming observation of the first phase of the on-going biometric voter registration exercise.

     A statement issued and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Monday by Professor Miranda Greenstreet, the Co- Chair for CODEO, said based on the field reports on the two days of registration, CODEO retained confidence in the ability of the Electoral Commission (EC) to significantly improve the logistic matters.

     "CODEO sees the need for the Electoral Commission to improve on the monitoring in the urban areas and party strongholds to address the challenges encountered so far," it added.

     It said CODEO would further deploy 620 observers in over 600 registration centres located within 300 electoral areas in 100 District in all ten regions.
     It said as part of the observation CODEO has observed that a variety of technical and logistical challenges confronted officials at the registration centres.

     It noted that some registration officials appeared not to be adequately conversant with the operation of the biometric kits and said such personal inadequacies coupled with the technical difficulties and other factors, negatively affected the pace of the registration.
     The statement said the exercise was generally smooth in many rural areas compared to the urban areas, which tended to experienced technical challenges.

     It recommended that the EC should intensify its education on when polling stations within clusters would open by publishing more widely through print, television and the radio stations of the movement plans to increase the awareness.
     It called on political parties to desist from the tendency to make alarming statements about the biometric registration exercise, especially where they are not substantiated with the specific facts as it causes undue public anxiety. 

     It implored political parties to exercise utmost caution in demanding redress for problems that arise from inadequate understanding of the exercise.  
     It urged the public to exercise patience and bear with the EC as it takes steps to improve the registration exercise and the public should also make efforts to understand the cluster system being used in the registration exercise.
 
Source: GNA


UFP calls for nationalistic approach to biometric registration


 The United Front Party has called on all political parties to have a nationalistic approach to the biometric voter registration exercise instead of the partisanship impediments by some of the parties.

  In a statement issued and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Monday by Nana Kusi Poku Listowell, the Communication Director of the party said that although the political parties have a stake in the activities of the Electoral Commission, they need a national agenda first before party activities.

  It called on the public, especially politicians to trust the registration officials undertaking the exercise since they have been equipped with the necessary training.
  It urged the security agencies to provide adequate security to prevent hooligans from disrupting the exercise, irrespective of their political affiliation.

 
Source: GNA

Potential voters sleeping at registration centres


As a sign of patriotism and a call to national duty some potential voters are spending the night at some of the biometric registration centres.
     A visit to the Taifa Presbyterian Church of Ghana registration centre by Ghana News Agency (GNA) at midnight saw people sleeping at the place.

     Mr Danjuma Tamimu, a Driver told the GNA that he arrived at the centre 21 hours to avoid the long queues, since the officials have a specific number they want to register for the day.
     He said the process was frustrating and it was preventing them to concentrate on their work.
    
"They (EC) say if you do not come early you will not get a number," he added. 
     Mr Kojo Addo, a Trader, said he came to the centre in the early hours of the morning but could not have access to the process, so he decided to spend the night there to enable him complete the exercise early.

     Madam Joyce Amoo, Petty trade, complained about the slow pace at which the process was going, saying "l left my children and my husband at home just to sleep here for the registration."

     Another woman, who gave her name as Grace was of the conviction that the only means to register fast was to spend the night at the centre.
     "When you are at the centre before the officials arrive and there is proper law, order and queue management the process will be completed," she said.
 
Source: GNA

Monday, March 26, 2012

Elmina records smooth registration

Elmina, March  26, GNA-Centres for the biometric voters' registration exercise in Elmina have so far not recorded any hitch  while Cape Coast posts success and disappointments.

When the Ghana News Agency visited Daddies block, SSNIT flat registration centre in Elmina, about ten people had queued up waiting their turn to be registered.

Ms. Ophelia Adu Akyea, the registration officer, said 187 people had been registered since the exercise began on Saturday, March 24 hoping that more people would turn up in the evenings after they close from work.

She said their equipment are working perfectly and that there were enough materials for the entire exercise.

At the Etsiapah Methodist registration centre, a lot of people had turned up to be registered whiles officers were busily attending to them.

Mr. Emmanuel Aryeh, special duty officer, said about 265 people had been registered since Saturday and that registration had been smooth.

At the Antobam Fie registration centre, 352 people had been registered.

Mr. Paa Kow Martin, officer in charge, said all valid  identification cards were accepted and those without any come along with guarantors.

Political party representatives were present at the three centres the GNA visited.

In Cape Coast, supervisors at some registrations centres said they have had  few challenges but the numbers of people were increasing by day.

At Amanful cluster-five registration centre, the supervisor, Mr. Augustine Thompson , said the mobile work station had a few problems on the first day and he had to call the Electoral Commission (EC) for replacement

He said on Saturday, March 24, they were able to register 123 voters, 198 on Sunday and about 40 people as at 09.48 hours on Monday when the GNA got there.

At the Saint Nicholas basic school at Adisadel electoral area, the Mr. Sheldrick Bart-Addison, the centre's supervisor, said 91 people were registered on Saturday because the people were not aware of the venue.

He said on Sunday March 25, they were able to register 131 people with majority of them being students of the Adisadel College and as at 1100hours on Monday,  they had registered 50 people with a lot more in a queue.

At the Pedu basic school, registration officers including the supervisor were so busy that they could not speak to the GNA.

A visit to the Cape Coast Castle centre revealed that registration was on-going despite some challenges that delayed the exercise which started around 0800hrs.

Mr. Suley Ali Shaibu, a registration officer, said 35 people had been registered as at 10.00hours on Monday.

Mr. Kwaku Egyir, a fisherman told the GNA that they had difficulties locating their various centres and pleaded for the centre's location to be announced.

Mr. Richard Mensah Attah, a registration officer at the Philip Quarcoe Boys School Centre, told the GNA that the first day saw a massive attendance with 94 people registered.

He expressed concern that some people were ignorant about pieces of information needed from them like home town and residential address.

Mr. Richard Aquah, Officer in charge of the Cape Coast Town Hall Centre, said 175 people were registered whilst 35 were recorded as at 08.45hrs.

He said the only problem they encountered was lack of knowledge of residential addresses of some people which were out of their territory.

Mrs. Araba Mensah, a trader, observed that the process was slow because the registration officers lacked experience and that was apparent by the way they struggle on the computer key board.

She said the EC should have recruited persons with fast typing skills to help quicken the process.

When contacted, the Deputy Regional Director of EC, Mr. Siribour Quaicoe, confirmed that almost all the technical hitches have been corrected.

He said 561 machines were in operation in the Region with all of them in very good condition and expressed optimism that the exercise will be successful as Party Officials have been very helpful with monitoring

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Registration, smooth in Tafo-Pankrono

The nationwide voter registration exercise which began last Saturday is progressing in the Tafo-Pankrono Constituency in Ashanti following the resolution of initial challenges.

At "Centre 13A - Kwasi Oppong Store", the special duty officer Nana Akwah told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that after the initial hitches with the equipment were resolved last Saturday, the registration exercise began in earnest and that 48 applicants were registered.

He said 100 applicants were registered on Sunday and by noon on Monday when GNA visited, 50 people had been registered whilst 36 others were in queue waiting patiently for their turn.

Agents of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) were present.

Nana Akwah said there had been no challenge neither of nationality nor age of applicants.

He commended the registration officer of the centre, Mr Mohammed Salis, for his hard work and dedication to duty.

At the "Kwasi Oppong Store Centre B", the registration officer, Mr Sinclair Amofa-Baafi, told the GNA that the exercise began at the centre at 0800 hours on Saturday when the equipment was successfully activated after initial challenges.

He said 82 applicants were registered on Saturday but the number went up to 100 on Sunday.

Mr Amofa- Baafi could, however, not give the number of applicants registered on Monday when GNA visited at 1135 hours.

He said there had been no challenge neither on the basis of nationality nor age.

Agents of the NPP and NDC were present but there was no security officer


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Social media campaign on biometric registration launched

The campaign, titled: "iRegistered", aims woo eligible Ghanians to visit their local registration centres and register in the Voters Register since it is not a continuous exercise in Ghana.

It forms part of activities for the organisation's Ghana Decides - A BloGh Election Project, according to a release issued in Accra on Monday by Maame Aba Daisie, Social Media Coordinator, Ghana Decides - A BloGh Election Project.

The release said the Electoral Commission (EC) estimated that 12 million Ghanians were eligible to register for Election 2012.

It explained that eligible Ghanians could participate in the campaign through four simple steps; reading for more information on the registration on its blog, http://ghanadecides.com and on Government's website http://ghana.gov.gh.

"All Ghanaians are being urged to read, be informed and share this information with family, friends and other people especially the less privileged in their communities".

The release asked all Ghanians to tweet or post a facebook or Google update telling their friends and the world about the registration exercise and the need to register with the hash tags iRegistered, BVR and GhanaDecides.

Project Leader, Kinna Likimani said the campaign would focus on encouraging the youth, especially young women and potential first-time voters to register. 

She noted that it was vital that all eligible Ghanians, especially those who were mostly disenfranchised and marginalised to  participate in the exercise and urged Ghanians to assist the physically challenged to register at the centres.

Ghana Decides - A BloGh Election Project is funded by STAR-Ghana under its Election 2012 call and aims to foster a better informed electorate for free, fair and safe Election 2012,  using online social media tools. 

The non-partisan project also aims to educate the youth, civil society organisations and public institutions on the effective use of social media for social change.

BloggingGhana, a membership-based organisation, was founded in 2008 with membership both within and outside Ghana.   It uses online social media tools to cover a wide variety of issues related to the country while serving as a forum for people to network and exchange ideas, as well as build capacity among the citizenry through education by the organisation of pro blog and social media events

Source: GNA
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Ghana Elections 2012 Daily News Review - 26th March 2012

The ongoing biometric Registration Exercise floods the dailies today, with a few challenges here and there. The Daily Graphic's news on Hitches here and there states that the National biometric voter's registration exercise took off to a flying start on Saturday, despite some technical challenges which slowed down the process at some registration centres. Malfunctioning printers and laptops and the inability of thumbprints machines to connect the computers were some of the challenges which confronted the exercise at some centers.

The Ghanaian Times also reports on the challenges that Voter registration faces problems. Technical hitches at some polling stations on Saturday nearly disrupted the smooth take-off of the Biometric Voter Registration exercise, the Ghana News Agency observed. The technical hitches included malfunctioning of the printers and laptops, while in some places, the thumbprints machines could not link up with the computers.

More news on the Biometric exercise as EC suspends registration at Akuse over court suit. The Electoral Commission (EC) on Friday suspended the Biometric Voter Registration exercise in six electoral areas in Akuse, due to a legal suit before the Supreme Court. The Ghanaian Times indicates that the electoral areas are Zongo Newtown, Akutue, Osukutu, Amedeka, Salom and Bungalow.
In a related story the Daily Guide reports about the Akrugu-Daboo Boycotts, saying that residents of Akrugu-Daboo community have refused to participate in the Biometric Voter Registration exercise. They did not partake on the exercise on the first day and checks on the second day revealed that they had boycotted the event.

The Heritage newspaper also reports that Personnel of the Electoral Commission who were deployed to administer the biometric registration exercise which commenced nationwide on Saturday were yesterday forced to lock out angry prospective voters at the Krowor constituency of the Greater Accra region. According to the paper, EC Agents lock out lawless applicants as Officers of the Commission after persistent pleas to residents to exercise patience and wait for their turn had no option than to lock prospective registrants from forcing their way into the centre to disrupt the exercise.

Still on the registration challenges, the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Electoral Commission of manipulating the ongoing voter biometric registration in certain parts of Accra to favour the ruling party. The Ghanaian Observer stated that NPP Blows Alarm, adding that the Greater Accra regional branch of the party is alleging that new registration centres have been created in the region without their knowledge "contrary to the agreed number of registration centres."

Biometric Blues….. NPP RAISES RED FLAG, is the headline the New Crusading Guide adopts while reporting that the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of conniving with the Electoral Commission (EC) to manipulate the ongoing voter biometric registration exercise to favour the ruling party. According to the Greater Accra NPP branch the EC, ''contrary to the agreed number of registration centres, has added many new Registration centres without the knowledge of the NPP. Consequently, the NPP has not   been able to put up party agents who are adequately prepared to effectively monitor the registration exercise.

The Daily Guide under the headline, Gunshots  Rock Biometric says that several  incidents , including  bloody  attacks , characterized the opening  of the biometric  voter registration exercise which  started on Saturday. It further explains that a bus with passengers was rained with bullets allegedly on the instruction of a District Chief Executive (DCE) at Akomadan in the Offinso North District of the Ashanti Region.

The Chronicle records that political  representatives at border communities in the  Volta Region monitoring the Volta Region monitoring the ongoing biometric voters registration exercise are on  high  alert at registration centers to ensure  that Togolese citizens do not  cross the border to register and vote  in the  2012  general  elections. In the headline 3 Togolese thrown out of registration centers in Volta, the paper adds that speaking  to media  practitioners on special duties  in the border communities, the Registration Officer at the Atikpui R.C  Primary  School registration centers, Mr. Emmanuel Azameti, disclosed that first  and second  day of the registration exercise were all smooth, and 67 applicants were registered with some  technical difficulty , which  was rectified later.

Away from registration abnormalities, the Tema Municipal Inter-Party Dialogue Committee on the biometric registration exercise has appealed for patience, tolerance and demonstration of civility at all registration centres to ensure a violent free exercise. The committee also urged minors and non-Ghanaians to stay away and resist the temptation of being influenced to register, acts that infringe the nation's electoral laws. The Daily Graphic states with the headline 'Patience, tolerance vital at registration centres'.

Still in Tema, news from the Daily Guide indicates that the level of participation on the first  and  second  day of the much-talked about  biometric voter's registration exercise in most parts  of Tema could  be described as good, as Electoral  Commission (EC) Officials in most  of the centers  in the metropolis discharged their duties without  problems. Even though DAILY GUIDE could not readily get the number of people who registered on the first and second days, the exercise went on smoothly, says the paper in the headline Registration Good in Tema.

Similarly the Daily Guide reports of a Low Turn-Out in Takoradi. The biometric registration exercise that commenced in some centres in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis last Saturday was characterized by low turnouts and delays. Commencement of the exercise delayed as registration equipment was not transported to the centres on time.

More news on the Biometric Voters Register as EC assures Ghanaians that the EC ON top of registration operational challenges, The New Statesman reports. Dr. Kwadwo Afari  Gyan  Chairman of the  Electoral  Commission  (EC) said  on Saturday  that the Commission has in  place technical mechanisms and experts  to deal  with any  initial  operational  challenges that may crop up during the Biometric Voter Registration exercise. ''We  anticipated operational  challenges including equipment failure, difficulty in capturing data, and other  human  related hiccups and we   have  a mobile  task  force  in place  to deal  with  the issues as and when reported. The paper also reports that voters registration is' successful in Hohoe. The first day of the Biometric Voter Registration exercise in the Hohoe-North and South Constituencies was largely successful but a few centres experienced some initial technical hitches that delayed the start of the process. Kwabena Karikari  Hohoe  Municipal Director of Electoral  Commission, told  the GNA yesterday  that the  success could  be  rated above  85 percent.
 
EC advises prospective voters to keep their registration receipts is the headline used by the Ghanaian Times to indicate that the Electoral Commission(EC) has announced that those who successfully go through the biometric registration exercise will be issued receipts, upon receiving their identity cards. The Commission said this will facilitate quick replacement for those who might later lose their identity cards.

Still on the Biometric Registration exercise, the New Crusading Guide says that EXTENSION OF BIOMETRIC VOTER REGISTRATION NECESSARY. Mr. Michael Kobla Adzaho District Chief Executive of Agotime-Ziope has appeal to the Electoral Commission to consider extending the period of registration at centres which experienced technical challenges with the registration machines. He noted that those hitches compelled many eligible voters to abandon the registration in frustration.

Before we move away from the registration exercise, the Daily graphic reads that NORSAAC to facilitate registration. The Northern Sector Action on Awareness Centre (NORSAAC) is to facilitate and encourage 700 first-time eligible voters in the Tolon Kumbungu and Gushiegu districts and the Tamale metropolis in the Northern Region to successfully go through the nationwide biometric registration exercise.The move is part of the one-year project dubbed, ''Strengthening Advocacy for Peaceful Elections" aimed at supporting stakeholders in the exercise and the entire electioneering to encourage people to register and vote to promote peaceful elections.

Away from the voter registration exercise, the Ghanaian Times reports that The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), will today, inaugurate national enforcement bodies to monitor strict adherence to Election 2012 Political Parties' Code of Conduct. According to the IEA, the enforcement bodies would make political parties aware that their electioneering activities are being monitored and any party which violated the Code would be tagged a "violent party" and named and shamed in the newspapers or on the airwaves. This is what the paper says under the headline IEA sets up political parties' Code of Conduct enforcement bodies.

Finally, Ghanaians are urged to Demand sanity in electoral campaign- NCCE Boss. According to The Chronicle, the Chairman of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mrs.  Charlotte Osei, has urged Ghanaian citizens to take control of the political discourse in the Country by telling politicians what expect of them. According to her, 'as we enter into the campaign season and a critical election year, it is critical that we as a people. Take a seriously our democracy and remind ourselves that we all have a role to play in creating the kind of democracy we want.

AEP



Drama At Saltpond


Drama Unfolded at this year's Biometric  Registration exercise at Anomabo in the Mfantsiman West Constituency of the Central region on Saturday when some National Democratic Congress (NDC) gurus stormed the area to disrupt the exercise at the Western forecourt  at Anomabo Castle.

The Stalwarts included Deputy Central Regional Minister, Aquinas Tawiah  Quansah, Municipal Chief Executive(MCE),Kweku Hayfron,Presiding Member,Alex Bechem,NDC Constituency Chairman,Stephen Moore and some macho men.
Some officials lack adequate knowledge in operating biometric machines - EC Director

Lack of adequate knowledge to operate the biometric registration machines by some registration officers is the major challenge faced by the Electoral Commission (EC) in the Upper West Region.
 Mr. Yahaya Mahama, the Upper West Regional Director of the EC, who told the GNA on Monday, however, said measures were being put in place by the EC to ensure that the situation did not translate into any problem that would affect the smooth running of the exercise in the Region.

     Mr. Mahama explained that all the operators of the machines were trained on how to use the machines but pointed out that in every human activity avoiding such challenges totally was not easy.
      Mr. Mahama, who could not readily provide figures for the turnout, said he was not disappointed with the turnout so far.
     He said the eligibility of some people to register had been challenged in some areas through the EC challenge forms and that the EC would look into those cases in order to have them resolved.

     He expressed the hope that by the end of the 40 days, everybody would have been captured and appealed to the people to move out to their polling stations with their documents and register.
      The biometric voter registration exercise started on March 24 and would end on May 5.

 
Source: GNA


Biometric mobile workstation kit delays exercise at Lapaz



The nationwide biometric registration exercise which started on Saturday morning has seen an average turn out at the Lapaz video center A and B electoral polling stations in the Okaikoi North Constituency in Accra.
      Mrs Hannah Obeng Omari, Special Duty Officer for the Electoral Commission for the polling stations in Accra, said their biometric mobile workstation kit had frozen leading to the late start of the exercise.

     Mr Richard Osei Bonsu, the registration officer in an interview with Ghana News Agency said that as at 13.00 they had only registered 40 applicants.
     He said out of the 40, only 15 applicants had taken their photos and received their ID cards, a situation he blamed on the slow nature of the exercise because registration officers were not familiar with the biometric mobile workstation kit.

     Mr Bonsu said was hopeful that the situation would improve as the days go by.
     At the time of the visit, only the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party had their representatives at post to also monitor the exercise. 

     Mr Philip Adu Brimpong, a party representative said that so far the exercise had been clean and everything was going on as expected.
     "There has not been any cause for worry at all and I believe that the register will be credible enough if things go this way until the close of the exercise." He added.

 
GNA

Biometric scanners frustrates registration process


Polling agents from the New Patriotic Party and National Democratic Congress, on Saturday expressed dissatisfaction over the slow pace at which the biometric voter registration exercise had taken.
The biometric registration process which was scheduled to commence at seven o'clock, commenced at nine thirty at most registration centers in the Weija constituency in Accra.

Some of the centers in the constituency were  Rect Academy, Holy of Christ church in the Kwashiebu electoral area, Toll- Booth registration, Gedan Tuba electoral area, Langma registration center and D/A Primary Dampase electoral area, were slowed down because scanning machines were not running at a fast pace.
Although the centers has about 1000 people to register within a period of ten days, the number of people who were registered as at 12:00 pm were, Langma-12, Toll Booth-40, and D/A primary-16.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr Abdul Karim, Assembly Member of Gedan Tuba electoral area, said the Electoral Commission and other agencies responsible for educating the public, did not adequately inform the citizenry on the form the process would follow.

He said most people who came to the centre to participate in the registration process, did not have sufficient information such as street names, house numbers and districts.

Officials of Electoral Commission (EC) at the various centers, said although the slow pace of the scanning machines had the tendencies of frustrating the entire registration process, the EC would with immediate effect resolve challenges.
Ms Augustina Akumanyi, Deputy Chairperson for Operations, National Commission for Civic Education, said challenges faced at the various registration centers could be resolved if Ghanaians adhere to instructions and take the education process seriously.

She said reports coming through from registrations centers were clear indications that most people did not have much information on the biometric questions, and information required to facilitate the smooth running of the process.
Ms Akumanyi added that it was important for the EC, as a matter of urgency resolve the difficulties to ensure that right data were collected through- out registration process

 
Source: GNA

Only 17 people registered at Kaneshie's St Theresa's at 9:00am

At Gonten station registration started around 7 am and as at 9 am only 17 people had registered.
     Mr Michael Paintsil, the Registration Officer said due to the density of the population, the St Theresa area was given two machines to work with instead of one so as to make the work efficient and easy.

     He said "the exercise has been peaceful and people are cooperative" adding that "we are spending 10 days here so as to make it convenient and easy for everyone to take part in the exercise because the population is very large and the polling station is A and B."
      Mr Kingsley Asante, Electoral Commission Special Duty Officer  at the center said the sun rays had affected the quality of the picture urged prospective voters to come with their old voter identification cards, passport and any other identification card to make the process easier.

       At the Internal Revenue Service, North Kaneshie branch, Diana Amoah, Electoral Commission Special Duty Officer, said the first person was registered as at 8:30am.
          She said the technician who is to inspect the machine before they could operate, wasn't in as at the time Ghana News Agency got there as at 9:30am, so only one machine was working instead of two.

          Mr Daniel Kaitoo, who had come to register expressed concern about the slow pace of the exercise, saying "I am afraid the EC cannot achieve their objective of the biometric of registration in the area".
     Mr Kaitoo noted that the people collecting the data were very slow, and it was important for them to speed up the process in order to capture more people.

Source: GNA

Saturday, March 24, 2012

20 Fascinating Facts and Figures on Ghana’s Biometric Voter registration

Ghana is currently undertaking a Biometric Voter Registration exercise which will replace the existing voters register, thus it would render any previous voter registration invalid for purposes of voting in the upcoming December general elections. The Electoral Commission (EC) projects to register 13 million voters during the compilation of the biometric voters roll. Read below for other facts and figures on the 2012 Ghana biometric registration exercise.

I. 40 days for biometric registration
II. 10 days allocated for registration at each polling stations 
III. 10 regions - registration taking place
IV. 45,000 Electoral officials expected to work during the process 
V. 6,500 biometric registration kits 
VI. 23,000 polling stations expected to be open for biometric registration 
VII. 6 Indentity documents accepted for registraion( birth certificate, passports, driving license National insurance card, national ID and existing voter ID)
VIII. 148 million Ghana Cedis is the cost of biometric registration 
IX. 120 persons estimated to be registered on daily basis 
X. 24 March 2012 - start of biometric registration 
XI. 4 May 2012 - end of biometric registration 
XII. 16 hours a day - battery operated scanners daily lifespan 
XIII. 11 hours a day - duration of the daily registration process 
XIV. 620 polling stations expected to be observed by domestic obsevers during the registration
XV. 18 years and above Ghanaians are expected to register 
XVI. 7.00am to 6.00pm - daily schedule of registration 
XVII. 4 polling stations are expected to be combined into 1 cluster for registration 
XVIII. 6 fingers can be registered 
XIX. 0 fingers can be registered under a special provision 
XX. 10 fingers image will be taken during the registration

Stay with AEP until registration is over and get regular updates on Ghanaelections and Africanelections on twitter and on facebook for updates on this exercise.


The ongoing Biometric Voter Registration Exercise - The Political Parties' Perspective

Major Political Parties on Saturday resolved to inject enthusiasm into the on-going Biometric Voter Registration exercise to ensure that all eligible Ghanaians register to participate in Election 2012.

In separate interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra, leading members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), New Patriotic Party (NPP), Convention Peoples Party (CPP) and the Peoples National Convention (PNC) noted the urgent need to marshal all eligible voters to participate.

Mr George Lawson, a Deputy NDC General Secretary said the party will increase its public education on the exercise as "the registration process serve as the first step towards winning Election 2012".He said: "We are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that our members massively register especially in our strong holds".

He also advised the party agent to be vigilant and cooperate with electoral officials for the compilation of a credible voter's register, "as the credibility of Elections is hinged directly to the credibility of the electoral roll".

Mr Lawson caution against intimidation and minors attempting to register, stressing that it was an offense to engage or encourage a minor to participate in the Biometric Voter Registration exercise.    

Mr Michael A. N. N. Oquaye, a leading member of the NPP called for total transparency and strict adherence to all the registration requirements. "We must make sure that nobody is disenfranchised".

He expressed concern about the time-span of the daily registration process, saying "EC's timetable on the exercise indicates that registration will start from 07:00 hours to 18:00 daily, but some Registration Officers claim the exercise ends at 17:00 hours. We need to be clear about the time".

He said the party will issue periodic position paper on the exercise, bring out challenges its field officers encounter and make the appropriate recommendations to the EC.

Mr Oquaye also advise all potential applicants to exercise restraint in case of any challenges. "The protection of national peace starts from today...we must all work towards a peaceful exercise".

Michael Kwabena Ampong, NPP Greater Accra Regional Director of Communication touched on the allegation that the Electoral Commission, had added many new Registration Centres without notifying the party.

He said the development had led to the NPP's inability to put up party agents who are adequately prepared to effectively monitor the registration exercise.

Mr Bernard Anabataayela Mornah, PNC General Secretary who spoke to the Ghana News Agency from the Upper West region, expressed concern about the lack of enthusiasm and the distances between the registration centres in that region.

He said the registration centres are far off, which will be a dis-insensitive to people especially the elderly in walking the long distance to registration centres, and called on EC to do something about it.

Mr Mornah also attributed the operational challenges of first day to poor publicity and called on EC and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) to redouble their public education campaign across the country.He said the two bodies must increase visibility on the biometric voter registration exercise to enable the nation to benefit from the huge investment in the process.

Mr Ivor Kobina Greenstreen, CPP General Secretary said the party was monitoring the exercise in about 200 Constituencies across the country with a coordinating centre at the party's headquarters in Accra.

He said the party would continue to cooperate with all democratic forces to ensure that the EC compiled a credible.He directed all CPP national, regional, and constituency executives to mobilise and encourage people to register.

Biometric Registration Starts Slowly at Kaneshie and Environs

Saturday's biometric registration exercise started on a rather slow note at Kaneshie and its environs. At the Kaneshie 1 and 4 Primary School, for instance, only six people had had their turn to register as at 12 noon. Even out of the six, only three had got their cards.

According to the GNA, Mr Albert Asatuni, Registration Officer at the station attributed it to technical challenges, and explained that  officials were not very conversant with the machine, and could not log in easily in the morning. "Even at 12 noon, the machine is still not working well, it keeps freezing", he said.

Mr William Quartey, one of the people going to register, said he was there as early as 0400 hours, but had not yet had his turn as at 12 noon. He described the day as a very bad day and urged government to do all it could to improve the registration process.


EC on top of registration operational challenges

Accra, March 24, GNA – Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC) said on Saturday that the Commission has in place technical mechanisms and experts to deal with any initial operational challenges that may crop up during the Biometric Voter Registration exercise.

    "We anticipated operational challenges including equipment failure, difficulty in capturing data, and other human related hiccups and we have a mobile task force in place to deal with the issues as and when reported.

     "People who notice any initial malfunction of any equipment should not panic but should report to the EC Officials...as much as possible lets reduce the incident of rushing to the radio stations without verification," Dr Afari-Gyan told the Ghana News Agency in a telephone interview from Ashanti Region.

    Dr Afari-Gyan who is in the Ashanti region to observe proceedings noted that the pilot exercise brought to the fore all operational challenges and that the Commission had the appropriate mechanism to resolve it.

    "We have competent technicians and back-up systems to respond to any emergencies; however we need the cooperation of all for a successful exercise", the EC boss said.

   Meanwhile a visit to some polling stations within the Accra metropolis by the Ghana News Agency revealed mixed reaction to the exercise. While the take-off was smooth at some polling stations, others encountered technical challenges.

     At the Nima Victory International School, Mr Mahammed Alantogmah, the Registration Officer and Ms Fulera Ibrahim Registration Officer for St Krisito Catholic Church also at Nima were all satisfied with the process.

    The GNA observed that in most registration centres visited, only Agents of the National Democratic Congress and New Patriotic Party were at post to monitor the process.

    The biometric voter registration is being conducted in phases in clusters simultaneously in all regions across the country starting today, Saturday, March 24..

     A team of registration officials with a set of equipment (kit) are assigned to a number of polling stations in an electoral area. The team will operate in a registration centre or polling station for a period of ten (10) days and move to another registration centre within the cluster for another 10 days.

     The team will spend 10 days in each registration center - polling station until all registration centers in the electoral area are covered. Electoral areas that are large and have more polling stations will have two (2) or more registration teams.   

     According to the registration timetable, phase one of the registration exercise is from March 24 to April 2; the second phase continues almost immediately from April 4 to 13; third phase from April 15 to 24 and the final phase running from April 26 to May 5.

Source: GNA

Ghana: Biometric Voter Registration Takes Off

Biometric voter registration process begun in Ghana today ahead of the country's December's general election.

The 40-day Biometric Voter Registration exercise, is a complete replacement of the existing voters register, thus it would render any previous voter registration invalid for purposes of voting in the upcoming elections.

The 40-day registration exercise will be held at the polling station levels with four polling stations coming together to form a cluster for the exercise. In all, 45 thousand EC officials will be deployed to the 7 thousand polling stations across the country.

AEP 

Friday, March 23, 2012

Ghana Elections 2012 Daily News Review - 23rd March 2012

Today's review begins with the Daily Graphic's story on 88 polling stations under trees in the Bolga Municipality. The Bolgatanga Municipal Director of the National Electoral Commission (EC) Mr. Oscar Apemah, has disclosed that 88 out of the 133 polling stations  in the municipality are located under trees. He said even though there were schools near to these polling stations that could have been used, disagreements between communities have led to  these places being compromised and thus cannot be used as polling stations.

With just a day to the biometric registration, EC affirms commitment to physically challenged, the Daily Graphic reports. The Electoral Commission (EC) has affirmed its commitment to make provision for the physically challenged to participate in the biometric voters registration. The Municipal Electoral Officer of LEKMA, Mr. Emmanuel Addai, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic in an interview said officers from the EC would register on behalf of any physically challenged individual who would not be in the position to register.

The electoral commission according to the New Statesman assures  public  of credible  voters' register. Kwadwo Sarfo Kantanka, Deputy Electoral  Commissioner in charge of operations, has  assured the general public  of the commission's  preparedness to produce credible  voter register for the December general  elections. He therefore  appealed  to all political  parties and stakeholders to collaborate with the Electoral Commission to make  the upcoming  biometric  registration exercise incident free.

We end the news about biometric registration with the story "EC schools media  on Biometric  registration" by The Chronicle that barely a few days to go  for the  commencement of the biometric  voters  Registration  exercise , the Ashanti  Regional  office  of Electoral Commission (EC) has   educated the media  on the processes  involved  to help  educate  the electoral  and take  them through  the demonstration  process. According  to Mr. Isaac Owusu, Deputy  Ashanti Regional Director  of the commission, many  people  especially  in the rural  areas , like market  women  and the uneducated, do not  know  much  about  the biometric  registration and are  therefore, unlikely  to register during  the exercise.

The Daily Graphic reports that The National Association of Charismatic and Christian Churches (NACC) has launched the Peace Run Campaign, an initiative geared towards maintaining peace before, during and after the elections. In the headline "NACC launches Peace Run campaign", the paper adds that NACC is an association of pastors and ministers from different churches   with a common vision of winning souls for the kingdom of God and ensuring the well-being of the society as a whole.

Similarly, the Ghanaian Times says that Religious leaders must encourage members to register. CHURCH leaders must educate their members who are eligible for voting to register during the forth-coming biometric registration exercise.'' It is only  when you are registered that you can  join others to vote  during the 2012  parliamentary and  presidential elections,'' Apostle Dr. Stephen K. Amoani, Chairman of the  Christ Apostolic  Church  International has said.

More about religious bodies' commitment to elections as The Eastern Regional Deputy Minister , Mr. Ebenezer Terlarbi, has called on religious leaders  to add their  voices to the call on politicians  to desist from  politics of insults and the use of inflammatory utterances. According to him, the ''unsavory  behavior '' had  inundated the airwaves and had heightened the already existing political  tension in the country, which  would not augur  well for peace unity and stability. This is what the Ghanaian Times captures in the headline Let's pray for peaceful elections.

From the religious bodies, we look at elections observation where the Crusading Guide states that CODEO to deploy  4,000 observers during elections . The Coalition of Domestic (CODEO) says it will train  and deploy  4,000 observers during this year's general election. Speaking  at the official launch of CODEO's  Election 2012  project at the GNAT Hall in Accra,Prof  Justice  V.C.R.A.C Crabbe, co-Chair  of CODEO, said the coalition will undertake  two major activities on Election Day  which  are election Day  Observation and Parallel Vote  Tabulation.

Away from election observation, we look into the Public Agenda which reports that Police Confer with Political parties on peaceful elections. In their quest to beef up security to ensure peace before ,during and after the election 2012 in the region, the Western Regional Police Command has held a sensitization programme with the various  political parties in the region. Deputy Commissioner of Police(DCOP).Mr Ransford Moses Ninson, who led the discussions, charged the parties not to  do anything that would  disturb the prevailing peace, a characteristic  for which the Region is reputed. He appealed to them to campaign on issues and eschew insults and character assassination.

The Ghanaian Times also reports that Presidential Transition Act, a hallmark of cross-party efforts. The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) on Tuesday described the Presidential Transition Act as a hallmark   of  cross-party effort, which  establishes  strong  evidence of political  leadership's capability to rise above  partisanship to deepen  democratic governance. The IEA, therefore  commended Parliament for the non-partisan  approach  in passing  the bill, and said ''the  President and his cabinet also deserve credit  for fulfilling a promise made in 2009 to introduce  a  Transition Bill.''

Also making the news today is the PPP's education policy. After indicating extensively how the policy would be funded from the national coffers, the party challenged all the other political parties seeking the mandate   of Ghanaians to join in the debate on how to implement free and compulsory basic and secondary education. The Daily Graphic adds that the Progressive People's Party (PPP) yesterday laid out its educational policy which seeks to make education from the kindergarten to the senior high school level free and compulsory for every Ghanaian child. The paper covers this in the headline PPP will provide free pre-tertiary education-Nduom.

The Ghanaian Times, under the headline "PPP to abolish  BECE, make SHS education free" states that the Progressive People's Party(PPP)  will  abolish  the Basic  Education  Certificate Examination(BECE) and  make  Senior  High School Education free, compulsory and  continuous for all Ghanaian Children, if the party is voted into power in December. It said  it would also raise  the minimum standard from 'basic  meaning  Junior High  School(JHS) to Senior High  level.

More news on the political parties' campaigns reveals that 'NDC will not foment trouble in December   election'. Mr. Daniel Adiah  Kaku, NDC youth  organizer of Bomoakpole, has assured Ghanaians that it is not  the intention of NDC youth  to foment  trouble  in the coming  elections. He, therefore  cautioned the youth  in the  party to desist  from acts likely to undermine  the electoral process  as the nation  was  all out  to consolidate her  nascent  democracy which  had  become  yet another  litmus  test in the eye of the international community, the Ghanaian Times says.

The opposition  New   Patriotic  Party, according to the New Statesman, says it has  uncovered a grand scheme  by the Mills-Mahama led  National  Democratic  Congress government  to rig  the upcoming  December elections  with the  connivance of officials of the  National  Health Insurance  Authority, and the National Identification Authority. The paper adopts the headline, NDC rigging plot in motion. According  to the main opposition  party, managers of the National  Health  Insurance Scheme across the country were summoned  over the  weekend  to emergency meetings in  the regions across the country  to set  up special  registration centres in their  scheme areas to register ''certain  people '' under the operation'' special Registration Exercise''.

Again on the opposition NPP, The Germany Branch of the New Patriotic Party has condemned  in the strongest  terms ''the unprovoked attacks'' on NPP  supporters by thugs  of the ruling NDC  in the Odododiodio constituency in Accra's Tuesday. According to the Ghanaian Times story with headline "NPP-Germany takes  Police to task over NDC attacks  on members at Odododiodio", the group  has  consequently  charged  the  Police Service to live  up their  responsibilities by ensuring that the  perpetrators of Tuesday's attack  are brought  to justice.

Ras Mubarak urges massive registration is how the Daily Graphic reports that the National Democratic congress (NDC) Parliamentary candidate for Ablekuma North, Ras Mubarak,  has called on all eligible  Ghanaians, particularly those in the zongo communities register  massively during the Biometric Voters Registration slated for March 24 to May 5,2012. According to him, registration was the  first step at ensuring that the NDC was retained in power after December  2012,saying the party had done enough to earn another four year term. This is how we end the day's review.

AEP