Nkoranza by-election was fair and peaceful

Accra, March 16, GNA - Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) has described the Nkoranza North bye-election as free and fair as the people had the opportunity to exercise their democratic rights without any hindrance.

It said the Electoral Commission did well in planning the logistics that were needed and in the execution of the election.

A release from GIMPA Centre for Elections Observation in Accra on Friday said in keeping with its tradition and social responsibility of supporting democratic governance in Ghana, the centre sent a team of observers to observe and report on the Nkoranza by-election. The Centre for Elections Observation has been monitoring all elections in the country since 2004.

The release said through its participation in presidential and parliamentary elections and subsequent by-elections, the Centre had built a pool of experienced elections observers.

A team of four observers visited roughly 25 communities and 52 polling stations out of the 69 during which they observed that there was a relative build-up mix of military and police presence. Some of the security personnel had been stationed there five days earlier. The release said there were visible vehicles and presence of party activists, especially of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP). There was the absence of any open hostilities between the NPP and National Democratic Congress (NDC).

It said the team witnessed the opening and closing of the polling stations and observed that all procedures were dully followed. It said even the only polling station which had a potentially volatile situation, counting of the ballots was done without the involvement of the security men. 16 March 07