Voting - Kumasi

Voting got off to a smooth start in the Kumasi Metropolis as long and meandering queues had been formed in most of the polling stations visited by the Ghana News Agency. Some of the voters were at the polling stations as early as 0400 hours. At Anwomaso Junior High School polling station in the Oforikrom constituency in Kumasi, long queues had formed as at 0630 hours when the start so she could cast her vote and said she was at the station at 0600 hours to enable her vote early. Party agents for the NPP, NDC and PNC were present at the time of the visit.

Mr Simon Yeboah, the Presiding Officer, told the GNA that all the materials had been supplied and the poll was ready to start smoothly. At the Jubilee Park in the Subin constituency long queues had formed and as at 0800 hours when the GNA visited, 67 voters had cast their votes.

At Asem Cluster of Schools also in the Subin constituency, polls were going on smoothly in all the three polling stations visited by the GNA. Mr Osei Agyeman, the Presiding Officer for the stations, said all the necessary materials were available at the stations and the party agents were present. Interestingly, some of the youth were busily playing football on the fields near polling stations. At the SSNIT flat post office polling station in the Kwadaso constituency in Kumasi, 52 had cast their votes out of the 1,472 registered voters in the station as at 0800 hours. At the Bantama Sub-Metro office polling station in the Bantama constituency, voters were seated comfortably on benches provided by a well wisher. Miss Rhoda Agyeman Duah, the Presiding Officer, said people were in the queue as at 0530 hours when the election officers arrived. At 0830 hours when the GNA visited the station, more than 100 people had voted.

At Esienimpong JSS 2 polling station in the Ejisu-Juaben constituency, Nana Kwaku Bio, Chief of Esienimpong, was the third to vote as at 0715 hours.

Nana Afrane Okese IV, Paramount Chief of Ejisu, also cast his vote at Ejisu-Bafoso education office polling station around 0730 hours and appealed to the youth to come out in their numbers to vote. At all the centres visited, people beyond 50 years were the ones seen voting whilst most of the youth were not seen. A total of 109 out of the 1,473 registered voters had cast their ballots within the first hour after polls had opened at Chirapatre R/C Primary School polling station in the Asokwa constituency. At the Saint Monica's Primary School polling station in the Asante Mampong constituency, 63 persons out of 1,510 voters had cast their votes as at 0730 hours.

At Daaho R/C 3 and 4 polling stations 110 out of 637 people had voted while 126 out of 604 had done so at the R/C 1 and 2 Primary School. At Bosofour R/C Primary School, 300 people out of 421 had cast their votes as at 0900 hours while 121 out of the 471 had already voted at the JHS polling station. Mr Ali Adamu Osman, District Electoral Officer, said all the materials had been dispatched to all the polling stations and the ballot was going on smoothly in the constituency.