General News of Tuesday, 14 August 2012

Source: Stephen Darko

Nduom heads for court over Walensi, Kwabre West by-elections

Presidential candidate of the Progressive Peoples Party (PPP) has indicated that his outfit would be heading for court to demand explanations on why the Electoral Commission (EC) opted to discontinue the Walansi and Kwabre West by-elections.

According to Paa Kwesi Nduom, the move by the EC has largely deprived electorates of the two constituencies’ representations in the National Assembly, stressing both constituencies have been given a raw deal by the EC.

The business magnate cum politician made the revelation on an Accra based radio station on Tuesday.

“We in the PPP are particularly concern about the representations of the two constituencies in Parliament. We are all in this country when President Mills died within a few hours another person was sworn in as president, so it is important that the people in these constituencies are given a representation,” Dr. Nduom added.

He continued that a democratic environment must always be prepared to deal decisively with situations like these.

The EC originally scheduled the two by-elections in the month of August, but has since withdrawn, as a result of a writ filed by the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), New Patriotic Party (NPP), Convention People’s Party (CPP) and the People’s National Convention (PNC) in court.

They argue that the electoral body could not go ahead with the by-elections in the two constituencies due to the absence of a valid voters’ register.

The EC at the time served notice it was not using the newly compiled, but yet to be completed, biometric voters’ register. However, the political parties disagree to the use of the old register.