In today's dailies, the Electoral Commission of Ghana dominate most of the elections news as its barely three days to the beginning of the biometric voters registration exercise. The Daily Graphic talks about how Offenders won't have their names in the register for five years says Afari Gyan. The paper says that, any prospective voter who registers more than once will not have his name in the electoral roll for five years, after it has been detected. Additionally, the offender will have his or her name deleted from the roll and be prosecuted and sentenced to a fine, a jail term or both.
Also in the Daily Graphic, EC trains 40 on registration equipment in the Northern Region to effectively handle the biometric voter registration equipment meant for the registration exercise in the area. The nationwide exercise is scheduled to take place between March 24 and May 5, 2012 throughout the country.
EC clarifies position on proxy voting is what the Daily Graphic publishes as soldiers are educated by the EC. The Electoral Commission (EC) yesterday took its institutional educational campaign on the forth coming biometric registration to the headquarters of the Ghana Armed Forces, where most of the soldiers who asked questions sought clarification on the issue of proxy voting that had been announced by the commission. They also wanted the EC to ensure that their colleagues who were on national assignment ,especially those serving on peacekeeping missions abroad, had the opportunity to register and exercise their franchise because they were serving the nation.
One more issue on the biometric registration exercise is covered in the Daily Dispatch with the headline Ghanaians asked to be vigilant during biometric registration. The Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mrs. Christiana Kobinah, has appealed to assembly members to keep their eyes open and to take the biometric registration exercise seriously in order to reduce issues of impersonation and troubles that might come with it. As community leaders, she urged them to sensitise their electorate to take the biometric exercise seriously.
Still on the Electoral Commission, the Daily Dispatch records that The Electoral Commission (EC) on Monday met with the Musician Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) in Accra to educate the group on the biometric voter registration and verification system. In the headline EC hosts MUSIGA, the paper adds that The EC took them through the registration processes and requirements during which MUSIGA president Bice Osei Kuffuor aka Obour and other members participated in a mock registration exercise to ascertain the authenticity of equipment.
In a related story, The youth wing of the opposition New Patriotic Party has urged the youth in the country to fully take part in the upcoming biometric registration. This was contained in a press statement signed by Emmanuel Attafuah Danso a deputy national youth organiser of the party. This story is reported by the New Statesman as members are urged to Take part in biometric registration.
Still on the NPP and the Biometric Registration, Bamba warns NPP members against double registration, is the headline from the New Statesman with details as follows: Alhaji Moctar Bamba National Organiser of the New Patriotic Party, has cautioned the party members and sympathizers to resist the temptation of engaging in double registration during the upcoming biometric voters roll compilation. He said offenders would not only lose their votes but could also prosecuted and urged them to disregard the negative propaganda about the biometric registration that seek to create fear in the people, insisting that there was no health risk and that it was safe.
Not far from that, we have the Crusading Guide reporting that the NPP launches Unity Cell. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) at Otaten in the Ablekuma North constituency has launched a unity cell to mobilize constituents for the upcoming biometric registration so as to strengthen the group's support for the party and its aspiring member of parliament. The women organizer and vice chairperson of the group, Awura Abena Awukubea Ofosu, said at the launch last Saturday that the cell aims at mobilizing about 4,000 people in their constituency to register when the biometric exercise commences this Saturday.
Gov't committed to free, fair elections-MarK Woyongo. The Upper East Regional Minister has reiterated government's commitment to ensure free and fair elections, come December this year. ''In our part of the world, elections do not only create tension but can easily lead to conflict if not managed properly. However, the government accepts the responsibility of maintaining peace and stability in the country at all times (including the period of elections) and it will not shirk this responsibility,'' The Daily Graphic reports.
The Daily Dispatch reports that WANEP – Ghana picks out 20 threats to the 2012 election. Ghana, Africa's torchbearer of democracy and freedom, during the 2008 presidential and parliamentary race, with the flaming torch came close to the same post-election crossfire and national-scale mayhem already seen, and not wished to be seen again by some African countries. Last year, the Executive Secretary of the National Media Commission (NMC) announced that "at least 38 radio stations in Ghana could have been indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC)" for fanning it with some other major stakeholders some "swaying shadows" and "puppet masters" would have put the country in explosion in the election.
According to the Heritage newspaper Election spies sneak into Ghana. And it says reports reaching its news-desk indicate that, as the nation prepares to test its democracy in December this year, a good number of election spies bent on secretly recording every event before, during and after the December polls have invaded the country. The modus operandi of these spies involves planting of secret recorders at vantage points in government institutions, media houses and the Electoral Commission's strong room, among others.
Away from the general elections news we move to activities within a number of political parties and begin with stories from the Daily Guide and the New Statesman headlined NDC boys attack NPP and NDC supporters attack NPP members respectively. Whilst the former reports that three members of the New Patriotic Party(NPP) in the Ododiodiodioo constituency sustained various degrees of injury when they clashed with some members of the National Democratic Congress(NDC) on Monday evening, the latter said that "A Scuffle between some supporters of the ruling National Democratic Congress and the opposition New Patriotic Party in the Ododiodiodiooo constituency Monday night left several people injured."
The Daily Graphic also reports about the NDC as President John Evans Atta Mills has indicated that the impressive record of performance of his administration within the last three years will make Ghanaians retain him in power. He said any individual or groups of people believing that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party would go into opposition after the 2012 election were clearly deluding themselves, this is captured in the headline "NDC will not go into opposition despite machinations-Prez"
Still on the NDC, The Member of Parliament for Kwadaso, Hon. Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto has warned of the dire consequences that the country could face if the NDC is retained in power. He said the hardships being experienced by Ghanaians under the reign of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) would worsen should the party be given additional four years to rule the country. This report comes from the Chronicle under the headline "2012 elections is about Ghana's future", adding that according to the New Patriotic Party(NPP) MP, the NDC ,under the leadership of Prof. John Evans Atta Mills has demonstrated lack of focus and direction in terms of the administration of this country, and it must not be allowed to continue.
On the opposition NPP, the Daily Guide reiterates Support for Nana's Project by an an NGO, Centre For National Affairs (CNA) who in a press statement stated that, while some details are lacking in what has been put forth in the public domain the programme is worth exploring and containable in public expenditure in the medium term. This statement was made in the face of the raging debate over the feasibility or otherwise of Nana Akuffo-Addo's free Senior High School (SHS)project in the country.
The New Statesman quotes Kofi Jumah as crying over ''sorrowful rally' by the NDC. The MP for Asowkwa, Maxwell Kofi Jumah has expressed his sympathy to the NDC for their ''sorrowful rally'' at the weekend, which he said is a clear failure towards the 2012 polls. In an interview with this paper, he said he was not surprised that the rally did not go on well due to the heavy rain. He described it as God's wrath on them for deceiving Ghanaians.
Finally on the NPP, A deputy communication Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Mr. Sammy Awuku has disclosed that former President Jerry John Rawlings was a major pain to the party prior to the 2008 general elections, in a story from the Ghanaian Observer that reads "Rawlings was a pain to NPP IN 2008". Mr. Awuku speaking on Xfm affirmed that the founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) played a significant role that bought the NDC back to power wondering why some leading members of the party will shield him (Rawlings) to the background now that the party has won power.
We close the chapter on today's review of the newspapers with news on the convention People's Party (CPP), the third force in Ghana's political environment who according to the Heritage newspaper had a Successful weekend in greater Accra. The successful weekend the paper attributes to the fact that the party commencened its Parliamentary Primaries in Ningo Prampram covering Dowenya, Dawa, New Ningo, Old Ningo and Prampram and acclaimed Frederick Marma Mantey as CPP Parliamentary candidate for the constituency.
This daily news review is compiled by African Elections Project (AEP) Media Monitoring Centre, Accra, Ghana.
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