New regions: EC holds special voting today

The Electoral Commission (EC) is billed to hold a special voting today, December 24, 2018 for the media and security personnel participating in the referendum on the creation of six new regions.

Chairperson of the Commission, Mrs. Jean Mensah at a media briefing in Accra, said the special voting will allow such personnel to have ample time to do their work on the day of the referendum.

All is set for the Electoral Commission to conduct a referendum on the 27th of December, 2018 for the creation of 6 regions in addition to the ten existing regions.

The reorganisation of the regions is a demand by members of the Volta, Oti; Brong Ahafo, Ahafo and Bono East; Northern, Savannah and North East and Western Regions, Western North, mostly aligned by article 5 of the 1992 constitution which imposed strict requirement on the creation of new regions, alteration of boundaries or the merger of two or more regions.

On August 15, 2017, the Council of State advised President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to appoint a Commission of Enquiry to look into the need to create six regions and make recommendations on all factors involved in the creation of the regions.

The commission, chaired by a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice S. A. Brobbey, was established pursuant to Article 5 of the 1992 Constitution and CI 105 and commenced work on November 21, 2017.

On June 27, 2018, it presented its report to President Akufo-Addo and recommended the creation of six new regions. The commission also recommended to the President that the referendum be limited to the proposed regions.