Sekondi, June 15, GNA - The Electoral Commission is expecting to register about 180,000 new voters during the 10-day Revision of the Voters Register in the Western Region, Mr. Steve Opoku-Mensah, Regional Director of EC, said on Monday.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Sekondi, he said the Commission registered 185,000 voters during a similar exercise before the Presidential and Parliamentary elections two years ago. Mr Opoku-Mensah said interest in the District Assembly elections is not as great as in the Presidential and Parliamentary elections, so the number of people that would be registered in the current exercise would not be higher.

He said the revision of the voters register is "not a wholesale exercise and is targeted at those who have just turned 18 years or who could not register in the previous exercises", adding that, the exercise is organized whenever there is going to be an elections, so that nobody would be denied his franchise or the right to vote. Mr Opoku-Mensah debunked claims that the exercise was taking place at the wrong time because of the World Cup tournament, saying, the registration is a democratic process that all citizens should have interest in it. He said double registration is an offence, and those who have misplaced their Voters Identity Cards should not re-register, but apply for replacement.

Mr Opoku-Mensah said the revision of the voters register is going on smoothly in the region, and so far the only has been with printers, but technicians have rectified the problem. He said the exercise is taking place at 452 registration centres. Mr Opoku-Mensah said there have been numerous applications for replacement of voters in many areas. 15 June 10