Tension Abates At Registration Centres In Ashanti

The tension that characterised the first phase of the biometric voters registration exercise in the Ashanti Region has abated in the second phase.

This has been attributed to a number of developments including the beefing up of security by the police at hotspots and the improved level of understanding by the political parties.

Mr Samuel Tettey, the Regional Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), told the Daily Graphic that unlike the first phase when macho men used motorbikes to disrupt the registration at some centres, no incidents of such nature had been reported in the second phase.

Ashanti was mentioned as the most troubled region in the first round of the exercise with violence occurring almost everyday at one centre or another.

One of the causes of the violence was the violent prevention of some applicants from registering.

However, this has reduced considerably and the EC expects the situation to improve further.

Mr Tettey also said the technical hitches that characterised the registration exercise had gone down.

After the first phase, technicians, for instance, were given further briefing on the operation of the kits and this has improved the process.

This is not to say that everything is perfect, since according to the regional director, there were still some few challenges.

On results of the first phase, Mr Tettey said he EC expected the Ashanti Region to record “encouraging” numbers at the end of the biometric registration exercise.

With returns from three districts yet to arrive at the regional office, the region had recorded a provisional figure of more than 700 in the first phase of the voter registration exercise.

“We hope to capture all applicants at the end of the exercise,” Mr Tettey said and added that his outfit was expecting reports from the other districts by close of work Friday.

Kwame Asare Boadu/graphic.com.gh