Voting Underway In Talensi By-Election

Voting is underway in all the polling stations in the Talensi constituency in the Upper East region as over 20,000 voters go to the polls to elect a Member of Parliament.

Political watchers and pollsters have tipped the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to recapture the seat it has dominated for over 20 years until the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) snatched it in the 2012 general elections.

The by-election is a straight fight between the NDC’s BT Baba and Thomas Duanab of the NPP. The poll has become necessary following the enskinment of the MP for the area Robert Nachinab Mosore as chief of the Tolon traditional area.

The Electoral Commission has assured all is set for the by-election after deploying electoral materials to the various polling stations late Monday evening. Two biometric verification machines are being used at every polling station to forestall any technical delays.

Accusations
Ahead of the polls, the two main political parties have been at each other’s throat over clandestine moves to rig the election.

The NPP indicted the EC and the police of conniving to intimidate them and bending the rules in favour of the ruling government, while the NDC has also claimed the NPP is colluding with electoral officials to retain the seat.

Dress rehearsal
President John Mahama has described the by-election as a “dress rehearsal” and has predicted his party is going to win by over 20,000 votes to prove to the NPP his party is still popular, despite the economic challenges.

Conversely, the NPP flagbearer Nana Akufo-Addo has called on the voters to come out in their numbers to vote in honour of the new chief as well as the Upper East regional chairman of the party Adams Mahama who was acid-attacked prior to the polls.

Security
The Ghana police has served notice security will be tight at every polling station as it will deploy a senior police officer to man each station.

The results will be declared after 5pm.