Shown concern for district election - EC tells DCEs

Apam, Sept 4, GNA - Mr Stephen Batinor, Gomoa District Electoral Officer, has called on the District Chief Executives (DCEs) to show interest in the forthcoming district level and unit committee elections. He said some DCEs had not bothered to visit offices of the Electoral Commission to ascertain preparations towards the September 12, 2006 elections.

Speaking to newsmen at Apam on Friday, Mr Batinor called for more public education to change the attitude of the people on the district level and unit committee elections.

He appealed to DCEs to offer logistics to the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and Electoral Commission (EC) to educate the people in rural areas on the need to participate in the elections. The Electoral Officer said they could monitor the public education campaign to deepen the democratic process of the nation. He said government officials should not only take Presidential and Parliamentary elections serious, adding that, 93other minor ones are important if the country's young democracy would be sustained=94. The Electoral Officer cautioned contestants against giving promises they could not meet when they mounted platforms. Mr Batinor said a total of 146 aspirants were contesting in the 53 electoral areas with only 13 females contesting. He stated that out of 146, 26 were seeking re-election The Electoral Officer stated that the EC did not have a permanent office in the District since one had been under construction for the past four years now.