The Electoral Commission (EC) has clarified that the shortage of ballot papers ahead of the upcoming general elections is not limited to the Volta and Bono regions alone.
According to the commission, the decision to reprint ballots in some constituencies is part of the standard verification process employed to ensure a transparent election.
The response follows public concerns over two separate letters addressed to political parties, requesting them to send agents to observe the reprinting of ballot papers for five constituencies in the Volta Region and two constituencies in the Bono Region.
The EC’s letter, dated 28th November, noted that the five affected Volta constituencies include Keta, Ketu North, Ho Central, Hohoe, and Ho West. In the Bono Region, the affected constituencies are Berekum East and West.
However, responding to critics in an IPAC meeting on Friday November 29, the EC’s Deputy Chairperson in charge of Operations, Dr Bossman Asare, explained that the shortfalls were identified by the commission’s regional staff following a double verification of the ballot papers.
He emphasised that the commission had nothing to hide:
It is important to note that in the spirit of transparency, the Commission notified the political parties and presidential candidates to enable them to inform their agents to observe the reprinting of the ballots as well as the destruction of the faulty ballot papers. The question is who discovered it and who is requesting a reprint? The Commission has nothing to hide.
Dr Bossman Asare further revealed that these shortages also occurred in the Greater Accra, Western North, Upper West, Western, and Bono East regions.
So the Volta Region and the Bono Region are not exceptions. The political parties were also informed in writing, and the reprinting was done. Why the noise about the shortfalls for only the Volta Region? If the Commission had anything to hide, it would not transparently call for a reprinting of the ballot to make up for the shortfall.
The EC therefore urged the public to disregard critics who seek to manipulate the issue for their own interests.
Source:
www.pulse.com.gh
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