EC: No Special Voting In Akwatia

The Electoral Commission (EC) has said that there will be no special voting in the re-run of election in six polling stations in Akwatia to complete the costituency's 2008 parliamentary election. The Acting Public Relations Director of the EC, Mr. Christian Owusu Pari made this known in an interview with Citi News on Monday. Citing reasons why it will not be necessary to have special voting as it occurred in the 2008 general elections, he said because the EC will be running the elections in only six polling stations, it will not be necessary to hold special voting. Special voting is reserved for EC, security, health and media personnel who will be engaged in official duties on election day. �The EC Officials have already voted in the previous elections held last year and only those who will be in charge at the six polling stations where the re-run is taking place can vote at these polling stations if only their names appear in the voters register there. Moreover, the EC is running the elections in only six polling stations,� he said. Mr. Owusu Pari added that there are only 4000 registered voters in the six polling stations where the re-run is taking place and the EC is going to print only 5000 ballot papers. The Court of Appeal last week asked the EC to go ahead and conduct election in six disputed centres in the Akwatia constituency after thugs seized ballot boxes in the general elections on December 7. Baba Jamal of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and two other independent candidates had asked for a total re-run of the constituency elections and obtained a favourable order from the High Court in Koforidua, which ordered the EC to grant the wishes of the appellants. The Court of Appeal however quashed the decision of the High Court and ordered a re-run in only the disputed six centres.