Political parties in Ghana may have to forget about campaigning in prison outfits ahead of this year's general elections because the authorities have declared them as no-go areas for politics.
According to the Ghana Prisons Service, political party campaigning or activity is not allowed at security installations and the prisons are also considered as such.
President John Evans Atta Mills at the commissioning of the Ankaful Maximum Prison indicated that his administration will ensure that prison inmates exercise their franchise in the 2012 elections. His decision has been endorsed by the Electoral Commission.
According to the President, the move is in conformity with a ruling given by the Supreme Court, which stipulated that inmates have the right to vote.
"The Supreme Court in a recent ruling stated that inmates have the right to vote during elections and I want to assure them that our government would abide by the Supreme Court ruling and therefore enable the Electoral Commission to put in place the necessary machinery and structures to enable inmates to exercise their God given rights," President Mills said.
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Prisons Service, ASP Courage Atsem told Citi News although all security agencies vote, political campaigns are not allowed on their premises and added that same would be applied within the prisons.
Asked how the inmates would then hear the message of the various political parties to decide whom to vote for, ASP Atsem posited that "political parties do not come to our work places or our barracks to campaign to us, but we still get the political messages based on which we still make our choices."
He added: "The same would apply in the case of the prisoners as well. I'm sure the prisoners would get the messages from the political parties; from the print and electronic media. I can assure you that the prisoners have access to radio sets and TV sets and they listen to news on a daily basis."
"There is nothing that happens in this country that you'd ask a prisoner and he would say because he is in prison he has not heard of it," Atsem pointed out.
He, however, added that the Electoral Commission has been made aware of the position of the Ghana Prisons Service.
According to the Ghana Prisons Service, political party campaigning or activity is not allowed at security installations and the prisons are also considered as such.
President John Evans Atta Mills at the commissioning of the Ankaful Maximum Prison indicated that his administration will ensure that prison inmates exercise their franchise in the 2012 elections. His decision has been endorsed by the Electoral Commission.
According to the President, the move is in conformity with a ruling given by the Supreme Court, which stipulated that inmates have the right to vote.
"The Supreme Court in a recent ruling stated that inmates have the right to vote during elections and I want to assure them that our government would abide by the Supreme Court ruling and therefore enable the Electoral Commission to put in place the necessary machinery and structures to enable inmates to exercise their God given rights," President Mills said.
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Prisons Service, ASP Courage Atsem told Citi News although all security agencies vote, political campaigns are not allowed on their premises and added that same would be applied within the prisons.
Asked how the inmates would then hear the message of the various political parties to decide whom to vote for, ASP Atsem posited that "political parties do not come to our work places or our barracks to campaign to us, but we still get the political messages based on which we still make our choices."
He added: "The same would apply in the case of the prisoners as well. I'm sure the prisoners would get the messages from the political parties; from the print and electronic media. I can assure you that the prisoners have access to radio sets and TV sets and they listen to news on a daily basis."
"There is nothing that happens in this country that you'd ask a prisoner and he would say because he is in prison he has not heard of it," Atsem pointed out.
He, however, added that the Electoral Commission has been made aware of the position of the Ghana Prisons Service.
CITI FM
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