E/R: Ballot papers with duplicate serial numbers detected

Some ballot Papers with duplicate serial numbers were detected during the sorting of electoral materials by Political parties and the Electoral Commission officials in Koforidua on Sunday, November 22, 2020.

The errata were detected during sorting of Presidential and Parliamentary ballot papers for Akuapem South Constituency in the Eastern Region.

“For the ballot papers in the presidential booklets, we noticed that the one which is in tens – instead of 142 pieces of the booklets we had 141 booklets which means there is a shortage by one. On the other hand, 50 of the booklets had duplicate serial numbers on the ballot papers. With the Parliamentary, there was shortage of one booklet with two duplicate booklets with same serial numbers on ballot papers, ” Prince Etormam the Akuapem South Constituency Secretary of the largest Opposition Party NDC told Starr News Eastern Regional Correspondent Kojo Ansah who was monitoring the process.

EC officials refused to speak to the issue on record but explained briefly that, the 250 ballot papers in 25 booklets with duplicate serial numbers which the parties have agreed to be put aside will not affect the number of ballot papers needed in the Constituency since they were additional ballot papers.

After the tedious exercise, the Director of elections for the NDC in Eastern Region Baba Jamal Konney said, the party will ensure that the duplicate ballot papers are either burnt or kept in Police custody before the electoral materials are finally dispatched to the constituency so that it does not make it way to the constituency to create problems.



Apart from this anomaly, Baba Jamal commended the Electoral Commission for the transparent manner of the exercise.

“We are done with sorting, all the Constituency booklets have been kept at the Police armoury at the Police Headquarters in Koforidua. Every political party has put its seal on the bags, on November 30th we will come and pick the special voting booklets and conduct the Special Voting then afterwards we come for the main booklets and check whether the seals and everything is okay. I think the regional Electoral Commission Director and her deputies are doing a good job, all the Constituency Electoral Officers are also doing their best to ensure fairness, we praying and hope that the way they have started will continue till the last day”.

The Eastern Regional Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party, NPP, Jeff Konadu was reluctant to comment on the process when approached twice.

The sorting exercise was equally monitored by BNI, Police and Election Observers from the European Union(EU).

EC

Jean Mensa, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission on Friday, November 20, 2020, told the Council of State that a total of 74,800 Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs) have been prepared and distributed to the districts across the country for the December 7 elections.



The EC Chair said the presidential ballot papers have been distributed nationwide while the parliamentary ballot papers were still being distributed.

Ghana will hold presidential and parliamentary elections on Dec. 7 to elect a president and 275 legislators.

In all, 12 candidates including an independent Candidate, have been approved by the EC to contest in the presidential election.

The presidential contest is mainly between the incumbent President and New Patriotic Party candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and former President and National Democratic Congress’ John Dramani Mahama.

This is the third time the two political opponents will be contesting the presidential election.

Mahama won in 2012, while Akufo-Addo defeated him in the 2016 polls.

Source: Starrfm.com.gh