Re-demarcation exercise delays assembly elections – Yiele Chiereh

Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, said the application for a Legislative Instrument (LI) to back the re-demarcation of electoral areas across the country was what delayed the district assembly elections.

Mr Chireh who was answering an urgent question in Parliament on Wednesday in Accra said the current electoral areas were demarcated since 1988 on the basis of the 1984 population census when the total population was 12.4 million.

The question which came from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) member for Sunyani East, Mr Kwasi Ameyaw-Kyeremeh, asked the minister to tell the House what accounted for the indefinite postponement of the District Assembly Elections which was originally slated for October 26, 2010.

The Minister noted that the 2000 population census put the total national population at over 19 million and the number districts had increased from 110 to 170.

“A number of newly developed areas which did not exist in 1988 have also come up”, he said.

Mr Chireh said the passage of the LI 1967 also reviewed the existing unit committees from 15,000 to 5000.

However, he said: “I am glad to say that with the coming into force of LI 1983, the EC is going ahead to conduct the elections on the scheduled date of December 28, 2010.

Source: GNA