IEA tasks EC to create more polling stations for Election 2012
The Electoral Commission (EC) has been tasked to create more polling stations for Election 2012 to reduce the number of voters at each polling station.
The creation of more polling stations will reduce to the barest minimum the number of voters and avoid long and winding queues that have the potential of creating problems, a communiqué issued at the end of a day’s workshop organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) in Accra stated.
A copy of the communiqué made available to the Ghana News Agency by Mr Ernest Twum of the IEA on Wednesday, also tasked political parties, especially the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to disband all political vigilante groups and put an end to the “macho men” syndrome.
“Political Parties should educate their members throughout the country on Election 2012,” the communiqué stated.
The IEA workshop was on the theme: “Towards Free, Fair and Violence Free Elections in Ghana: Holding Key Stakeholders Accountable”. It was attended by representatives of Political Parties, National Peace Council, the EC, National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE), Security Services, Development Partners, the Media and other stakeholders.
The participants tasked the EC to collaborate with the NCCE and Political Parties to educate party agents on their rights and responsibilities and adoption of vigorous education of voters on the Biometric Registration Process to ensure a credible Voters Register.
“The EC and NCCE should step up education efforts to reduce the number of rejected ballots as witnessed in the 2008 election; EC should liaise with the security agencies to guarantee the security of the voter registration process and the entire electoral process,” the communiqué stated.
The workshop according to the communiqué tasked Political Parties to enforce the Political Parties Code of Conduct at all levels of the parties’ hierarchy, whilst mandating the parties to reflect on Chapter Six of the 1992 Constitution which deals with the Directive Principles of State Policy in their Election 2012 manifestos.
Source: GNA