Biometric voter register exhibition starts slowly in Kumasi

The exhibition of the biometric voters’ register got underway in Kumasi smoothly but on slow start.

Most of the centres visited by the Ghana News Agency on Saturday morning revealed almost no activity as the exhibition officials and party agents sat idly waiting for people to come and verify their details.

Most centres had not recorded more than 20 people as at 1000 hours.

Some of the exhibition officials said they were not surprised at the situation since that had been the attitude of the Ghanaian in previous exercises.

They were however of the view that things would change as the days passed by and more people would come and verify their details.

The officials appealed to the Electoral Commission (EC) to intensify public education on the exhibition to encourage people to show interest in the exercise.

Ms Augustina Ampong of the Kyekyewere Exhibition Centre said she expected turnout to improve from Monday September 3rd.

She mentioned non-appearance of photographs and discrepancies in the ages on some applicants’ voter ID cards and the register, as some of the issues complained by the people.

The EC announced the exhibition of the register from Saturday, September 1, to 10, 2012, to enable all prospective voters to check and verify their details and also assist to remove names of death persons and relatives from the register.

Mr Isaac Owusu, Deputy Ashanti Regional Director of EC, also mentioned non-appearance of photographs, misspelling of names and wrong ages as some of the complaints reported.

He said EC was still monitoring and compiling all the complaints to address them after the exercise.

On the issue of low turnout on the first day, Mr Owusu hoped with the intensification of public education on radio and television, it would improve.

Source: GNA