Printing of Ballot Papers for Elections Begin

Printing of ballot papers for the December 7 elections started in Accra on Tuesday amidst tight security as the Electoral Commission stepped up preparations for the vote.

The state-owned Ghana Publishing Corporation (GPC) is printing the presidential ballot papers while IKAM, a private printing company, is printing those for the parliamentary vote.

Flt-Lt. F. Adja-Codjoe (Rtd), General Manager (Administration) of GPC, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra on Wednesday, said the corporation would print 117,096 booklets of ballot papers for the presidential poll.

He gave the regional requirements as follows: Greater Accra 19,587, Eastern 13,114, Volta 10,794, Ashanti 21,557, Brong Ahafo 11,588, Central 9,553, Western 11,852, Northern 10,311, Upper West 3,444 and Upper East 5,296. Each booklet has 100 ballot papers.

The order of presidential candidates on the ballot papers will be what was arrived at following a ballot by the political parties. The presidential candidates will have their photographs and party symbols.

The name, picture or symbol of vice presidential candidates will not appear on the presidential ballot paper. The order of the presidential candidates is the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), National Democratic Congress (NDC), Convention People's Party (CPP), People's National Convention (PNC), United Ghana Movement (UGM), National Reform Party (NRP) and New Patriotic Party (NPP).

In 1996, the order in which the candidates were arranged on the ballot paper was determined by the order in which they filed their nominations. The order of the parliamentary elections would appear as NDC, CPP, PNC, UGM, NRP and NPP except Ablekuma Central in Greater Accra, Effutu in the Central Region and Navrongo Central in the Upper East Region where the GCPP filed nominations.

The symbols of independent parliamentary candidates will follow those of the party representatives. On security of the ballot papers and officials involved in the printing, Adja-Codjoe said GPC is enforcing all printing rules and regulations.

Representatives of the contesting parties have joined a team of securitymen from the Bureau of National Investigations, the Police Panther Unit, EC and GPC securitymen for the exercise.

Adja-Codjoe said the parties have three representatives each and at any given time one each is present inside the printing room. Once printing starts for the day no one is allowed in or out of the room.

He said GPC has adopted a two-shift system for all personnel involved in the printing. One batch starts from 0600 to 1800 hours while the other batch starts from 1800 hours to 0600 hours.

Adja-Codjoe said the security personnel, party representatives and EC officials were given an orientation on the process of printing on October 31. The period was also used to check the machines.

He said at the end of every shift the number of ballot papers printed is recorded and endorsed by party representatives and GPC officials. All spoilt ballot papers are burnt in their presence.