Much-awaited assembly election on-going in Ahanta West District

Agona Nkwanta(W/R), Dec. 30, GNA 97 The much-awaited District Assembl= y and Unit Committee elections in the Ahanta West District in the Western Region started in some electoral areas with some hiccups. In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Agona Nkwanta on Thursday, District Electoral Officer, Mr Nathaniel Quaye, said out of 36 electoral areas in the District only 32 were voting.

He said 112 polling stations with 109 candidates were contesting the District Assembly Election, including 107 males and 2 females while 335 candidates are contesting the Unit Committee Election comprising 305 males and 30 females.

Mr Quaye said the Electoral Commission (EC) suspended voting in four electoral areas as a result of few challenges it encountered during cross checking of the ballot papers.

He said some errors were detected on the Unit Committee ballot papers at Awusejoe, Sese, Domebra and Apinasah electoral areas. Some of the anomalies detected are wrong spelling of names of some uni= t committee candidates, exchange of pictures of candidates while two candidates are bearing the same name.

Mr Quaye said the Head Office of the EC had been informed about the problems and could not state when the elections would be held in those areas. He however urged the electorate to exercise patience. Mr James Ransford Quansah, Presiding Officer of Agona Nkwanta RC Primary School told the GNA that he had received some ballot papers with mistakes on them. He said but for the timely intervention of the security agencies the anomaly could have created confusion at the centre. Mr Quaye intervened and corrected some of the mistakes manually. Voter turn-out in the district was generally low with some prospective voters going about their daily routine as if nothing was happening in the area. At Apemanim, Mr Godwin Fiawornu the Presiding Officer said some prospective voters who attempted voting with their old voters' ID cards a= nd were turned away.