Political parties to help recruit election assistants – EC
Mr Charles Botchey Junior, Ningo-Prampram District Electoral Officer, has assured political parties in the district that the Electoral Commission (EC) would give them the opportunity to point out polling assistants who actively participate in political activities.
Mr Botchey Jnr said a copy of the album for the polling assistants to be recruited by the EC for the 2016 General election would be made available to all the political parties.
He indicated that the move would help the EC to recruit only credible and non-partisan people to help the Commission deliver a free and fair elections.
He made this known on Tuesday during a day’s engagement of political party youth activists by the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) with support from the European Union.
The EC officer added that even though it was the civic right of every citizen to belong to a political party, those actively involved in the day to day activities of political parties would not be recruited to officiate in the election on December 7.
He gave the assurance that all polling assistants would be recruited from the district thus making it easy for such persons to be easily identified.
Mr Botchey Jnr however stated that any protest against a polling assistant deemed politically affiliated to any party should be backed with evidence to prevent the abuse of the opportunity.
Touching on the conduct of political party agents at polling centres, he cautioned them against intimidating voters in queues.
He also asked them to refrain from wearing party paraphernalia on the day of election as well as desist from offering any form of inducement to voters to vote their candidate.
Defacing of posters, inserting of materials into ballot boxes and inciting voters to violence were all prohibited, according to him.
The EC officer reminded residents of the district who want to transfer their votes to the area to visit any of the offices of the EC offices from September 9 to October 7 when transfer of votes would be carried out.
He said, to apply for a transfer, the applicant must be a registered voter, be resident in the constituency other than the constituency he or she registered for at least 12 months.
The applicant is also supposed to provide physical proof of his or her residence including residential address.
Mr Botchey further announced that on September 9 and 10, there would be an exhibition of provisional voter’s register for those had to re-registered because they originally registered with the NHIS card.
He therefore encouraged the voters to visit the EC offices to check their data and called on political party representatives to be present during the exercise.
Source: GNA