EC fine-tunes preparations for polls

Accra, Dec. 2, GNA - With four days to Election 2004 the Electoral Commission (EC) is fine-tuning its preparations for a free, fair and transparent polls.

Ballot papers have been transported to the various regional capitals where EC officials would distribute them to secured spots from where each of the over 20,000 polling stations would have the materials before voting starts at 0700 hours on Tuesday, December 7 2004.

About 10.288 million voters have their names on the Voters' Register.

Members of the security services, Journalists and staff of essential services would vote on Saturday.

Mr Albert Kofi Arhin, EC Director of Elections, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra on Thursday that all polling stations were expected to have all the essential materials before the vote begins. Each polling station would have two ballot boxes, one each for presidential and parliamentary vote and five seals for each ballot box. Polling stations would also have indelible ink for marking a voter's thumb and thumbprint pads for marking the ballot papers, among other things.

Other documents and forms are, a Voters' Register and ballot papers based on the number of voters on the register.

Mr Arhin said polling stations would have transferred voters' lists where applicable, list of proxy voters, absentee voters list, name reference list, objected names list, forms for voters without ID cards and enumeration sheets for male and female voters.

He said there would be five other forms at the polling stations - statements of the poll, declaration of results form, two handing-over certificates, form of arrest and search of suspects.

The EC Director said there would be one presiding officer at each polling station with four polling officers to assist him or her. At the constituency level, he said, one returning officer with two deputies would be responsible for the conduct and supervision of the elections under the direction of the District Electoral Officer and the EC.