...Updated constantly ...
Accra, Dec.7, GNA - Polling in Election 2004 started throughout the country at 0700 hours on Tuesday with long queues of voters waiting patiently to cast their votes.
Snaking lines of hundreds of voters built up at balloting places across Ghana on Tuesday, as the first sub-Saharan country to gain independence voted for president.
``I knew I was coming to wait ... before casting my vote,'' said David Adu-Sarpong, a 35-year-old commercial driver. Like many, Adu-Sarpong had used a rock to stake his place in line overnight before returning at 4:20 a.m.
``I don't mind at all - all I want to do is cast my vote,'' Adu-Sarpong said. ``My vote is my power.''
As early as 0500 hours, security personnel and other election officials flooded the Sunyani Municipal Electoral Office to collect their election materials and they all departed to their various stations by 0600 hours.
An only early incident, which was seen more as a result of the rush by the officials to convey their materials to their centres, was the interchange of a ballot box for the Emmanuel Methodist Church Centre to the Penkwase Methodist Church.
Mr Daniel Fletcher, Presiding Officer at the Penkwase Centre, however, told Ghana News Agency, he had notified the Electoral Commission officials and was hoping the anomaly would be rectified before voting began at 0700 hours.
During rounds by GNA, it was realized that though all the security personnel were present, the political parties were poorly represented, with only the agents of the NPP and the NDC dominating.
Madam Mary Paula, Presiding Officer at the St Monica's Day Care Centre, complained about the lack of food for the officials and when asked by GNA as to their feeding arrangement, she replied that she was not aware of any such arrangement by the Electoral Commission.
At about 0800 hours, the GNA had visited 24 polling stations in the Techiman South Constituency and there had not been any case of impersonation and shortage of electoral materials except at the Gyarko Junior Secondary School Polling Centre where, Madam Fuseina Rashid, a-50-year-old woman, could not trace her name in the photo register. Mr Joseph Akemo, Presiding Officer told the GNA that, Madam Rashid, duly registered with an ID Number 12118941 that also bears the Gyarko JSS Polling Station number and had even turned-up during the mob-up exercise. She was therefore, allowed to vote.
At the Community Centre 'A' and 'B', Mr Eric Boadu, Presiding Officer, said a 90-year-old woman, Afia Yeboaa, who could not walk was among the early voters at the Centre 'A' that recorded 396 votes cast out of 1,006 registered at the centre with 295 people casting their votes out of the 758 registered voters at Centre 'B'.
Hundreds of NGOs, international observers as well as National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) staffs were monitoring the voting, which were taking place in all the 99 polling stations in the Techiman South Constituency and 71 polling stations in the Techiman North Constituency.
All the party agents of the PNC, NPP, NDC, CPP and agents for the Independent Candidate were present at all the polling centres visited in the South Constituency were present.
Voting officially started at 0700 hours and many polling stations which had their elections materials started promptly. Turnout has been large as early voters made their way to the polling stations. Some of them used chairs and stones to claim places in the queues.
Some voters said they arrived at their polling stations as early as 0100 hours to cast their votes and continue with their businesses. The day has not been declared a holiday.
Voting delayed in some polling stations, because elections materials arrived late, but once the elections materials arrived, voting started in earnest.
Ms Theresa Tagoe, Member of Parliament (MP) for Ablekuma South, told the GNA that she was concerned about some disturbing developments in the Gbebu Electoral Area at Agege and asked for extra security personnel at those places.
She said while voting was going on peacefully at some polling stations in Dansoman, some polling stations at Agege and Chorkor needed extra security to maintain the peace.
She said Gbebu Electoral Area in Agege had 37,000 registered voters while Chorkor had 24,000 registered voters.
However, they had only one security officer at each poling station to control voters.
Madam Mary Ashley, the Presiding Officer, told the GNA that based on the decision of the majority of polling agents they decided to proceed with voting in spite of the problem.
She said they had not encountered any problem since then. Election officers at the Zongo Polling Center could not control the impatient voters and called for reinforcements as the Centre had only one security officer who could not control the huge crowd. When GNA visited polling stations at Barrier, Oblogo, Mallam and Weija voting was progressing smoothly as voters waited patiently for their turn to cast their votes.
However, the situation was different at the Wiseway Preparatory and the 31st December Day Care Polling Stations, also in the same Constituency. All the security personnel reported at their various stations before voting started at 0700 hours.
Mr Kpakpo Allotey, a Mechanic, told the GNA that he woke up very early to come queue because he had his workshop at Dansoman and if he did not vote before going to work he could not back to cast his vote before the end of the exercise.
At Camp Two Primary Polling Station, Mr Samuel Bediako, the Presiding Officer, said everything was going on smoothly.
Nii Ababio, a Businessman, who was the first person in the queue, said he had to come that early to cast his vote because he had other businesses to attend to.
"I registered over 1,600 people and so we are not surprised at the turnout," he said.
The Presiding Officer Mr Philip Azumah told the GNA that he had all the requisite materials except the tally card for females. He said he had asked one of the Polling Assistants to improvise to capture the data so that he could transfer the results on to the appropriate form when supplied later.
Mr Azumah said 1,216 eligible voters are on the register adding that so far the voters had comported themselves and there had not been any problems.
Four Presidential Candidates - Dr Edward Mahama of the Grand Coalition; President John Agyekum Kufuor of New Patriotic Party (NPP); Professor John Evans Atta Mills of National Democratic Congress (NDC) and George Aguddey of Convention People's Party (CPP) - had their agents present at the Polling Station.
The agents of the Parliamentary Candidates - Eric Kodi, Independent; Solomon Nii Adjetye Okang, CPP; Eric Osa Laate, Independent; Laryea Abdenego, NPP and Nii Amasah Kojo Namoale, NDC - were also present.
Three Parliamentary Candidates are vying for the seat. They are: Abdiel Godly Babaali of PNC; Daddah B Braimah, NPP and Mustapha Ahmed of NDC.
Godwin Opare Addo of CPP; Richard Buckman of PNC; Nii Ashietey Armah of NDC and Nii Adu Mante of NPP are vying for the Parliamentary Seat.
Madam Lucy Mills, a Voter, said some people attempted to jump the queue and the lone Policeman on duty sent a distress call for reinforcement as the crowd grew.
By time the GNA was leaving the Polling Station, help had arrived in the form of five armed police to maintain law and order. In a related development, angry voters trooped to the Dansoman Police Station to register their protest over the delays in voting at the Ofie Gardens Polling station at Dansoman Last Stop.
By the time the GNA arrived at the scene at 0750 voting had started. Mr Ernest Okyere, Presiding Officer, said the delay was as a result of the inability of polling assistants to turn up on time.
Some of the people in the community failed to heed the call of the Electoral Commission (EC) that nobody should hang around at the polling centres. A few public-spirited people were seen urging them to move away with one man with a megaphone trying to urge the people to go home and return at 1700 hours when counting would start.
Although some voters had queued as early as 0100 hours, voting started at 0715 hours.
Mr Theophilous Tetteh, Presiding Officer, said he was unable to start on time because he had to distribute electoral materials to other polling stations in the electoral area.
He said he was expecting 1,715 eligible voters to cast their votes. The crowd was restless and there was some confusion, as some people tried to jump the long queue when voting finally began. There are a number of security officers around to maintain law and order.
According to Mr Hinne unfortunately he said he met another man who had slept overnight and, therefore, he (Mr Hinne) could not be the first to cast his ballot.
When asked on how he coped with the mosquitoes, he said he brought along a big towel to protect himself against mosquito bites.
Some voters told the GNA that they arrived at the polling stations as early as 0400 hours to cast their ballots so that they could go to work.
Presiding officers and voters told the GNA that there had been no problem so far.
At the Odorkor Police Barracks under the Ablekumah Central, there were two Police Officers and a Prison Officer in charge of security.
Out of the 1,450 voters on the register, 173 people had voted as at 0828 hours at the Odorkor Police Barracks while at the Bethel Baptist Church 40 persons out 1,014 had cast their votes as at 0715 hours. The GNA saw observers from Observation Teams including the Catholic Bishops Council, the Christian Council of Ghana and the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) at the centres.
Nineteen voters had cast their votes at 0715 at the Word Miracle Polling Station while 80 had voted at the Kalpohini Junior Secondary School (JSS) at 0745 hours.
Among the early voters at the Kalpohini JSS was Alhaji Abukari Sumani, the National Democratic Congress Parliamentary Candidate, who was the first to cast his vote.
At the Kalphoni, Senior Secondary School (SSS) Polling Station 85 voters had cast their votes at 0755 while 250 had voted at 0850 at the Inter Royal Hotel Polling Station.
Long queues comprising the aged, youth and the handicapped had been formed at the various polling stations.
The Presiding Officers of all the polling stations the GNA visited said they had received all the necessary voting materials and that, security arrangements were also satisfactory.
They said they had no problem with voters, since all who turned out had queued in a peaceful manner.
Mr Oduro Ntiamoah, Presiding Officer of the Twumduase Polling Station and Mr Asare Donkor, of Ayeduase R/C Primary Polling Station, however, said the only problem they had encountered was the absence of seals for tightening the ballot boxes.
While, Mr Ntiamoah said his station received only one seal instead of six, Mr Donkor said his station had none at all.
They both said it could be an oversight and that they would immediately link up with the Electoral Commission (EC) to enable them to provide them with the seals before the close of the polls.
At all the polling stations of the four communities GNA visited, only National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP) polling agents were present.
Meanwhile, at about 0730 hours, when the GNA was leaving the Ayeduase Primary Polling Station, 117 voters had cast their votes out of the about 1,400 registered voters.
The voters had queued in their large numbers in all the 20 polling stations so far visited by the GNA and were casting their votes in an orderly manner.
There has so far, not been any reported case of voting irregularity. On the average, about 35 per cent of the registered voters in the polling stations visited, had voted as at 0800 hours. There were polling agents for NPP, NDC and PNC except for the CPP, which did not have representatives in all the polling stations. Observers and security personnel were found in all the polling stations.
Mr Eric Ohene Gyan, District Electoral Officer, told the GNA that 38,034 voters registered in the Constituency while 52 others transferred their votes to the Constituency.
Voting started at 0700 hours at all the centres and by 0725 hours, 20 people had voted at Juaso Secondary/Technical School "B", while the "A" Centre had recorded 30 votes and Presbyterian Primary Number Two had 43 people voted by 0730 hours.
A voter, who put the presidential and parliamentary ballot papers in one ballot box, was assured that her votes would be counted among the valid votes.
Miss Mariam Ibrahim, an Agent of the National Democratic Party (NDC) at the GWSC No.2 Polling Station, said she was generally satisfied with the way the elections began.
"For me, I think things are going on well, particularly with the way people came out very early to cast their votes."
Miss Ibrahim said the staff of the Electoral Commission (EC) and the security agents have done their homework very well in the area. At the various polling stations visited, the NPP, and NDC agents were mostly present, while agents of the People's National Convention (PNC) were present at only a few polling stations.
Indications were that, a large majority of voters would have exercised their franchise by 1200 noon. By 0900 hours, the long queue, which had formed at the United Pentecostal Primary School polling station near the Sports Stadium, had fizzled out.
The general consensus among the polling agents of the various political parties was that, voting had been orderly, smooth and fast, even though there were complaints of insufficient inkpads.
"If only everything would go on smoothly throughout the country as it is here, the election would be peaceful, free and fair", Mr Bruce Gbete the Grand Coalition Polling Agent at the Ho-Dome E.P. Primary Polling Station said.
The general atmosphere in town was quiet with scanty vehicular movement.
At the Sekondi Well Road Primary School Polling Station, Mr Alex Opare, Presiding Officer, said at 0930 hours 141 out of 477 eligible voters had cast their votes.
All the polling officers said they had sufficient voting materials and did not anticipate any shortage to mar the smooth conduct of the elections in the four constituencies.
No incidents or malpractices such as double voting had been recorded in any of the polling stations visited so far and many people, who spoke to the GNA commended the EC for the smooth conduct of the elections. Mrs Gladys Asmah, Minister for Women and Children Affairs and Member of Parliament for Takoradi was among early voters at the Happer Road Polling Station at Takoradi.
Agents of the contesting three parties - Convention People's Party (CPP), national Democratic Congress (NDC) and People's National Convention (PNC) and the Independent Candidate, as well as the security personnel had also taken their position when voting started at 0700 hours and were watching proceedings with eagle eyes.
Mr Freddie Blay, First Deputy Speaker of Parliament and CPP incumbent MP for Ellembele, was among the early voters, who cast their votes at Eikwe Public Primary School Polling Station at 0730 hours. His archrival, Colonel Kaku Korsah (rtd), Former Shama-Ahanta Metropolitan Chief Executive, contesting the Ellembele seat on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had not cast his vote at the Asiama Clinic Polling Station where he was expected to vote when the GNA got there at 1000 hours.
At Asiama Catholic JSS Polling Station, the party agents were interfering with the work of the election officers. Mr Eshun Amponsah, Presiding Officer, told the GNA that the party agents wanted to inspect the photo identity cards of voters before allowing them to vote.
This confusion held up voting at the polling stations for about 10 minutes.
The security personnel at the polling station managed the cool down tempers as the Presiding Officer was bent on sacking them from the polling station for undue interference. One of the party agents for NDC, Mr Scott Armah said they wanted to ensure that there was no impersonation.
At the Asiama Clinic Poling station, Mrs Rebecca Blay, Presiding Officer, said one voter came with voter identity card but his particulars were not in the voters' register but she allowed him to vote in accordance with scenario one of the guide to election, that permitted such voters to cast their votes.
Another incident was recorded at Asiama Catholic Primary Polling Station where some people called at the polling station to report that two people were paralysed so they had come to collect their ballot papers to go and give it to them at home to thumbprint.
When the Presiding Officer, Mr Samuel Srem-Sai asked them to go and bring the paralysed people in a taxi to the station to vote, they became offended and had wanted to fight the Presiding Officer but with the assistance of other election officers around, they were able to drive them away from the Polling Station. At the time there was no security personnel present.
...Updated constantly ...
Accra, Dec.7, GNA - Polling in Election 2004 started throughout the country at 0700 hours on Tuesday with long queues of voters waiting patiently to cast their votes.
Snaking lines of hundreds of voters built up at balloting places across Ghana on Tuesday, as the first sub-Saharan country to gain independence voted for president.
``I knew I was coming to wait ... before casting my vote,'' said David Adu-Sarpong, a 35-year-old commercial driver. Like many, Adu-Sarpong had used a rock to stake his place in line overnight before returning at 4:20 a.m.
``I don't mind at all - all I want to do is cast my vote,'' Adu-Sarpong said. ``My vote is my power.''
As early as 0500 hours, security personnel and other election officials flooded the Sunyani Municipal Electoral Office to collect their election materials and they all departed to their various stations by 0600 hours.
An only early incident, which was seen more as a result of the rush by the officials to convey their materials to their centres, was the interchange of a ballot box for the Emmanuel Methodist Church Centre to the Penkwase Methodist Church.
Mr Daniel Fletcher, Presiding Officer at the Penkwase Centre, however, told Ghana News Agency, he had notified the Electoral Commission officials and was hoping the anomaly would be rectified before voting began at 0700 hours.
During rounds by GNA, it was realized that though all the security personnel were present, the political parties were poorly represented, with only the agents of the NPP and the NDC dominating.
Madam Mary Paula, Presiding Officer at the St Monica's Day Care Centre, complained about the lack of food for the officials and when asked by GNA as to their feeding arrangement, she replied that she was not aware of any such arrangement by the Electoral Commission.
At about 0800 hours, the GNA had visited 24 polling stations in the Techiman South Constituency and there had not been any case of impersonation and shortage of electoral materials except at the Gyarko Junior Secondary School Polling Centre where, Madam Fuseina Rashid, a-50-year-old woman, could not trace her name in the photo register. Mr Joseph Akemo, Presiding Officer told the GNA that, Madam Rashid, duly registered with an ID Number 12118941 that also bears the Gyarko JSS Polling Station number and had even turned-up during the mob-up exercise. She was therefore, allowed to vote.
At the Community Centre 'A' and 'B', Mr Eric Boadu, Presiding Officer, said a 90-year-old woman, Afia Yeboaa, who could not walk was among the early voters at the Centre 'A' that recorded 396 votes cast out of 1,006 registered at the centre with 295 people casting their votes out of the 758 registered voters at Centre 'B'.
Hundreds of NGOs, international observers as well as National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) staffs were monitoring the voting, which were taking place in all the 99 polling stations in the Techiman South Constituency and 71 polling stations in the Techiman North Constituency.
All the party agents of the PNC, NPP, NDC, CPP and agents for the Independent Candidate were present at all the polling centres visited in the South Constituency were present.
Voting officially started at 0700 hours and many polling stations which had their elections materials started promptly. Turnout has been large as early voters made their way to the polling stations. Some of them used chairs and stones to claim places in the queues.
Some voters said they arrived at their polling stations as early as 0100 hours to cast their votes and continue with their businesses. The day has not been declared a holiday.
Voting delayed in some polling stations, because elections materials arrived late, but once the elections materials arrived, voting started in earnest.
Ms Theresa Tagoe, Member of Parliament (MP) for Ablekuma South, told the GNA that she was concerned about some disturbing developments in the Gbebu Electoral Area at Agege and asked for extra security personnel at those places.
She said while voting was going on peacefully at some polling stations in Dansoman, some polling stations at Agege and Chorkor needed extra security to maintain the peace.
She said Gbebu Electoral Area in Agege had 37,000 registered voters while Chorkor had 24,000 registered voters.
However, they had only one security officer at each poling station to control voters.
Madam Mary Ashley, the Presiding Officer, told the GNA that based on the decision of the majority of polling agents they decided to proceed with voting in spite of the problem.
She said they had not encountered any problem since then. Election officers at the Zongo Polling Center could not control the impatient voters and called for reinforcements as the Centre had only one security officer who could not control the huge crowd. When GNA visited polling stations at Barrier, Oblogo, Mallam and Weija voting was progressing smoothly as voters waited patiently for their turn to cast their votes.
However, the situation was different at the Wiseway Preparatory and the 31st December Day Care Polling Stations, also in the same Constituency. All the security personnel reported at their various stations before voting started at 0700 hours.
Mr Kpakpo Allotey, a Mechanic, told the GNA that he woke up very early to come queue because he had his workshop at Dansoman and if he did not vote before going to work he could not back to cast his vote before the end of the exercise.
At Camp Two Primary Polling Station, Mr Samuel Bediako, the Presiding Officer, said everything was going on smoothly.
Nii Ababio, a Businessman, who was the first person in the queue, said he had to come that early to cast his vote because he had other businesses to attend to.
"I registered over 1,600 people and so we are not surprised at the turnout," he said.
The Presiding Officer Mr Philip Azumah told the GNA that he had all the requisite materials except the tally card for females. He said he had asked one of the Polling Assistants to improvise to capture the data so that he could transfer the results on to the appropriate form when supplied later.
Mr Azumah said 1,216 eligible voters are on the register adding that so far the voters had comported themselves and there had not been any problems.
Four Presidential Candidates - Dr Edward Mahama of the Grand Coalition; President John Agyekum Kufuor of New Patriotic Party (NPP); Professor John Evans Atta Mills of National Democratic Congress (NDC) and George Aguddey of Convention People's Party (CPP) - had their agents present at the Polling Station.
The agents of the Parliamentary Candidates - Eric Kodi, Independent; Solomon Nii Adjetye Okang, CPP; Eric Osa Laate, Independent; Laryea Abdenego, NPP and Nii Amasah Kojo Namoale, NDC - were also present.
Three Parliamentary Candidates are vying for the seat. They are: Abdiel Godly Babaali of PNC; Daddah B Braimah, NPP and Mustapha Ahmed of NDC.
Godwin Opare Addo of CPP; Richard Buckman of PNC; Nii Ashietey Armah of NDC and Nii Adu Mante of NPP are vying for the Parliamentary Seat.
Madam Lucy Mills, a Voter, said some people attempted to jump the queue and the lone Policeman on duty sent a distress call for reinforcement as the crowd grew.
By time the GNA was leaving the Polling Station, help had arrived in the form of five armed police to maintain law and order. In a related development, angry voters trooped to the Dansoman Police Station to register their protest over the delays in voting at the Ofie Gardens Polling station at Dansoman Last Stop.
By the time the GNA arrived at the scene at 0750 voting had started. Mr Ernest Okyere, Presiding Officer, said the delay was as a result of the inability of polling assistants to turn up on time.
Some of the people in the community failed to heed the call of the Electoral Commission (EC) that nobody should hang around at the polling centres. A few public-spirited people were seen urging them to move away with one man with a megaphone trying to urge the people to go home and return at 1700 hours when counting would start.
Although some voters had queued as early as 0100 hours, voting started at 0715 hours.
Mr Theophilous Tetteh, Presiding Officer, said he was unable to start on time because he had to distribute electoral materials to other polling stations in the electoral area.
He said he was expecting 1,715 eligible voters to cast their votes. The crowd was restless and there was some confusion, as some people tried to jump the long queue when voting finally began. There are a number of security officers around to maintain law and order.
According to Mr Hinne unfortunately he said he met another man who had slept overnight and, therefore, he (Mr Hinne) could not be the first to cast his ballot.
When asked on how he coped with the mosquitoes, he said he brought along a big towel to protect himself against mosquito bites.
Some voters told the GNA that they arrived at the polling stations as early as 0400 hours to cast their ballots so that they could go to work.
Presiding officers and voters told the GNA that there had been no problem so far.
At the Odorkor Police Barracks under the Ablekumah Central, there were two Police Officers and a Prison Officer in charge of security.
Out of the 1,450 voters on the register, 173 people had voted as at 0828 hours at the Odorkor Police Barracks while at the Bethel Baptist Church 40 persons out 1,014 had cast their votes as at 0715 hours. The GNA saw observers from Observation Teams including the Catholic Bishops Council, the Christian Council of Ghana and the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) at the centres.
Nineteen voters had cast their votes at 0715 at the Word Miracle Polling Station while 80 had voted at the Kalpohini Junior Secondary School (JSS) at 0745 hours.
Among the early voters at the Kalpohini JSS was Alhaji Abukari Sumani, the National Democratic Congress Parliamentary Candidate, who was the first to cast his vote.
At the Kalphoni, Senior Secondary School (SSS) Polling Station 85 voters had cast their votes at 0755 while 250 had voted at 0850 at the Inter Royal Hotel Polling Station.
Long queues comprising the aged, youth and the handicapped had been formed at the various polling stations.
The Presiding Officers of all the polling stations the GNA visited said they had received all the necessary voting materials and that, security arrangements were also satisfactory.
They said they had no problem with voters, since all who turned out had queued in a peaceful manner.
Mr Oduro Ntiamoah, Presiding Officer of the Twumduase Polling Station and Mr Asare Donkor, of Ayeduase R/C Primary Polling Station, however, said the only problem they had encountered was the absence of seals for tightening the ballot boxes.
While, Mr Ntiamoah said his station received only one seal instead of six, Mr Donkor said his station had none at all.
They both said it could be an oversight and that they would immediately link up with the Electoral Commission (EC) to enable them to provide them with the seals before the close of the polls.
At all the polling stations of the four communities GNA visited, only National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP) polling agents were present.
Meanwhile, at about 0730 hours, when the GNA was leaving the Ayeduase Primary Polling Station, 117 voters had cast their votes out of the about 1,400 registered voters.
The voters had queued in their large numbers in all the 20 polling stations so far visited by the GNA and were casting their votes in an orderly manner.
There has so far, not been any reported case of voting irregularity. On the average, about 35 per cent of the registered voters in the polling stations visited, had voted as at 0800 hours. There were polling agents for NPP, NDC and PNC except for the CPP, which did not have representatives in all the polling stations. Observers and security personnel were found in all the polling stations.
Mr Eric Ohene Gyan, District Electoral Officer, told the GNA that 38,034 voters registered in the Constituency while 52 others transferred their votes to the Constituency.
Voting started at 0700 hours at all the centres and by 0725 hours, 20 people had voted at Juaso Secondary/Technical School "B", while the "A" Centre had recorded 30 votes and Presbyterian Primary Number Two had 43 people voted by 0730 hours.
A voter, who put the presidential and parliamentary ballot papers in one ballot box, was assured that her votes would be counted among the valid votes.
Miss Mariam Ibrahim, an Agent of the National Democratic Party (NDC) at the GWSC No.2 Polling Station, said she was generally satisfied with the way the elections began.
"For me, I think things are going on well, particularly with the way people came out very early to cast their votes."
Miss Ibrahim said the staff of the Electoral Commission (EC) and the security agents have done their homework very well in the area. At the various polling stations visited, the NPP, and NDC agents were mostly present, while agents of the People's National Convention (PNC) were present at only a few polling stations.
Indications were that, a large majority of voters would have exercised their franchise by 1200 noon. By 0900 hours, the long queue, which had formed at the United Pentecostal Primary School polling station near the Sports Stadium, had fizzled out.
The general consensus among the polling agents of the various political parties was that, voting had been orderly, smooth and fast, even though there were complaints of insufficient inkpads.
"If only everything would go on smoothly throughout the country as it is here, the election would be peaceful, free and fair", Mr Bruce Gbete the Grand Coalition Polling Agent at the Ho-Dome E.P. Primary Polling Station said.
The general atmosphere in town was quiet with scanty vehicular movement.
At the Sekondi Well Road Primary School Polling Station, Mr Alex Opare, Presiding Officer, said at 0930 hours 141 out of 477 eligible voters had cast their votes.
All the polling officers said they had sufficient voting materials and did not anticipate any shortage to mar the smooth conduct of the elections in the four constituencies.
No incidents or malpractices such as double voting had been recorded in any of the polling stations visited so far and many people, who spoke to the GNA commended the EC for the smooth conduct of the elections. Mrs Gladys Asmah, Minister for Women and Children Affairs and Member of Parliament for Takoradi was among early voters at the Happer Road Polling Station at Takoradi.
Agents of the contesting three parties - Convention People's Party (CPP), national Democratic Congress (NDC) and People's National Convention (PNC) and the Independent Candidate, as well as the security personnel had also taken their position when voting started at 0700 hours and were watching proceedings with eagle eyes.
Mr Freddie Blay, First Deputy Speaker of Parliament and CPP incumbent MP for Ellembele, was among the early voters, who cast their votes at Eikwe Public Primary School Polling Station at 0730 hours. His archrival, Colonel Kaku Korsah (rtd), Former Shama-Ahanta Metropolitan Chief Executive, contesting the Ellembele seat on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had not cast his vote at the Asiama Clinic Polling Station where he was expected to vote when the GNA got there at 1000 hours.
At Asiama Catholic JSS Polling Station, the party agents were interfering with the work of the election officers. Mr Eshun Amponsah, Presiding Officer, told the GNA that the party agents wanted to inspect the photo identity cards of voters before allowing them to vote.
This confusion held up voting at the polling stations for about 10 minutes.
The security personnel at the polling station managed the cool down tempers as the Presiding Officer was bent on sacking them from the polling station for undue interference. One of the party agents for NDC, Mr Scott Armah said they wanted to ensure that there was no impersonation.
At the Asiama Clinic Poling station, Mrs Rebecca Blay, Presiding Officer, said one voter came with voter identity card but his particulars were not in the voters' register but she allowed him to vote in accordance with scenario one of the guide to election, that permitted such voters to cast their votes.
Another incident was recorded at Asiama Catholic Primary Polling Station where some people called at the polling station to report that two people were paralysed so they had come to collect their ballot papers to go and give it to them at home to thumbprint.
When the Presiding Officer, Mr Samuel Srem-Sai asked them to go and bring the paralysed people in a taxi to the station to vote, they became offended and had wanted to fight the Presiding Officer but with the assistance of other election officers around, they were able to drive them away from the Polling Station. At the time there was no security personnel present.
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