Forefinger to be marked during run-off

The Electoral Commission has said the forefinger of registered voters would be marked with indelible ink during the run-off. "There is the possibility of voters still having the indelible ink on their left thumb.

To forestall any funny dealings and multiple voting, the forefinger of the left hand will be marked," Mr Albert Kofi Arhin, Director of Elections, told the GNA in Accra. He explained that the run-off is part of the general elections held on December 7 and administrative measures would be put in place to ensure transparency and fairness to all the electorate.

Mr Arhin said the Commission is aware that most voters might be voting in a run-off in an election for the first time and might be confused on Election Day. The EC has, therefore, adopted measures to ensure that the electorate understand and participate in the election freely and understand the procedure.

Mr Arhin said the EC would only approve new proxy voters who would be away on December 28. Those who voted by proxy on December 7 should contact their Returning Officers for their slips to vote.

He said the Commission would organise a special orientation for Returning and Presiding Officers to be abreast with regulations governing run-off elections. On the voting procedure for the electoral officials and other personnel who would be on duty on voting day, Mr Arhin said they would be given a certificate, which would enable them to vote at their duty posts.

"There will be no special voting for the run-off," he said. He said the EC has written to educational institutions to compile the list of students who voted but would be on holidays by the run-off.

Mr Arhin said such students would be given temporary transfer to enable them to vote at where they would be spending the holidays. The Director of Elections emphasised that all rules and regulations governing elections in the country would be applied and called on the general public and the media to ensure that the election is conducted in a peaceful atmosphere. The run-off has been fixed for Thursday, December 28.

Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, Chairman of the Electoral Commission, in a gazette notice, said the election will start at 7 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. It will be between Mr John Agyekum Kufuor of NPP and Professor John Evans Atta Mills of NDC.

It gave the breakdown of the votes for the seven presidential candidates in the December 7 elections as follows: Mr Kufuor registered 3,121,506 votes, which represented 48.35 per cent of total votes, while Prof. Mills bagged 2,895,570 votes, representing 44.9 per cent.

None of the contestants got the 50 per cent plus one vote to emerge a clear winner, according to the constitution. The other results are: Mr Dan Lartey, GCPP, 67,506 votes (1 per cent); Professor George Hagan, CPP, 114,924 votes (1.8 per cent); and Dr Edward Mahama, PNC, 162,076 (2.5 per cent).

The rest are Mr Goosie Tanoh, NRP, 72,213 votes (1.1 per cent); and Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby, UGM, 21,814 votes (0.3 per cent).