Voting going on smoothly at Atiwa Constituency

Akyem Kwabeng, Aug. 31, GNA - All the 10 polling stations in Kwabeng opened for the electorate to exercise their franchise in the Atiwa by-election at exactly 0700 hours.

A visit by the GNA to some of the polling stations revealed that by 1000 hours at the Arabic School polling station, out of the 520 registered voters, 100 had cast their votes.

At the Presbyterian Primary School, out of the 612 registered voters, 138 had voted by 0900 hours and at the Presbyterian Junior High School (JHS), 142 people had cast their votes as at 10.10 hours.

At the Anglican Primary School, the Presiding Officer, Mr Augustine Lawer, told the GNA that five people who brought their transfer from Accra, which was used in the 2008 general elections were refused voting since their transfer were considered invalid.

He said out of the 342 registered voters, 98 had voted as at 09.10 hours.

At the Anglican AME Zion upper primary, out of 643 registered voters, 123 had voted as at 09.30 hours.

In all the centres visited, none of the presiding officers complained about any problem while all the four candidates who are contesting the election have their representatives at those places.

However, there was heavy presence of the police, with about six policemen at every polling station.

There is also a police barrier mounted at the outskirts of Kwabeng, District capital of Atiwa, where all vehicles entering or going out of the town are searched.

Meanwhile the Anyinam District Police Commander Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), John Opoku, said nobody had so far been arrested by the police adding that there had not been any reported case of breach of the law.

The Atiwa by-election is being held due to the death of Kwasi Annor Ankamah, the Member of Parliament, early this year.

The election is being contested by four candidates, Mr Kwasi Amoako-Attah for NPP, Mr Emmanuel Attah-Twum for NDC, Mr George Padmore Apraku for New Vision Party and Mr Kasum Abdul Karim for PNC.

The area has registered voters of 61,667 and 113 polling stations.