The 2016 general elections started on a calm note across the country early today with scores of people queuing up since yesterday to exercise their franchise.
About three hundred voters had queued to vote at the Macedonia Methodist church polling centre which is under the Ablekuma North Constituency before the Electoral Commission (EC) officials arrived.
According to the Presiding Officer, Ishmael Mettle all materials for voting arrived early so voting started at exactly 7:00am. “When we arrived with our materials there was a long queue of about three hundred people who had been here since 3:00am,” he added.
All voters at the centre organised themselves in an orderly manner. However, the only challenge that the EC official had to deal with was a woman who wrongfully used her little finger to vote and demanded for another ballot paper.
In an interview with ghanabusinessnews.com, the Presiding Officer explained that “The woman used the little finger which was only meant to be used as a symbol of having voted to actually vote on the presidential ballot paper which was wrong and she dipped it into the ballot. After that she demanded for a new ballot paper but we refused because she had already dipped it into the ballot box so we have asked her to go home and wait to vote in 2020,” he added.
A total of 503 people are expected to vote at the centre but as at 8: 55am, only ninety three people had voted with about 30 people in the queue.
At the Church of Pentecost, Kwashieman centre, materials for voting were ready as at 4:00am and voting started at exactly 7:00am.
The Presiding Officer, Michael Adams, tells ghanabusinessnews.com that 611 people are expected to vote but as at 9:15am only 117 had voted.
Speaking to a voter, Yaa Asante, in an interview, she said “I got here around 2:00am because I wanted to avoid long queues usually associated with elections and also to avoid the violent people who usually come to polling stations to disrupt electoral processes.”
In an interview with ghanabusinessews.com, Emmanuel Akomaning a voter, said he had been at the polling station since 3:00am because he wants to vote quickly and go to work since the day is not a holiday.
The three candidates contesting for parliamentary seats in the Ablekuma North constituency are; Akua Owusu Afriyie for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sally Amarkie Darko for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) is represented by Akwasi Asiamah.
At the Rock Hospital polling station at Odorkor, voters had lined up in an organised manner patiently waiting for their turn.
The EC agent who spoke on condition of anonymity noted that because all materials needed arrived on time, voting started at the stipulated time and as at 9:25am about 98 people had already voted with some more in the queue. He expects more voters to troop in, in the afternoon, he said.
In all the three polling stations no significant challenges had been recorded with regards to materials, logistics, security and voters.
Although the day has not been declared as a holiday almost all shops ,officers and schools in Accra are closed.
By Pamela Ofori-Boateng
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