All is set for Election - EC

Bolgatanga, Nov. 12, The Electoral Commission (EC) is doing everything within its capacity to ensure, not just a free and fair general election on December 7, but also a credible outcome that would be acceptable to all parties involved. The Director in charge of training at the EC head office, Mr Charles Addei, made this known at a one-day capacity building workshop on election reporting, for Media personnel in the Upper East Region on Tuesday in Bolgatanga.

He explained that the Information Communication Unit of the EC was working feverishly to come out with the final register, and indicated that voters register had already been updated, paving the way for those who had reached the voting age to register and those who did not register for any reason to have their names included.

He indicated that returning officers had also been trained and stated that notice of polls indicating the names of constituencies and parliamentary candidates had also been compiled.

Mr Addei stated that, ballot papers for the election had also been printed and were being sent to the various Regional offices of the EC, and that the receiving of applications for transfer and proxy voting was also underway.

He indicated that special voting list for officials who would be engaged in the election were also being prepared to allow them to vote on December 2 so that they could get the chance to conduct their duties on election day.

Taking the participants through "Electoral Education and Information", the Director of Training, urged the media personnel to report more accurately and fairly to enable the electorate to receive useful and timely information to make informed decisions. He told the media to desist from speculation and seek the right information from the presiding officers or the Regional office of the EC, which were the authentic sources, before airing any election results.

The Regional Director of EC, Mr Iddrisu Adam, indicated that 39 returning officers and deputy returning officers from the Region's 13 constituencies had been trained and sworn into office recently. "These would be used as trainer-of-trainers to impart electoral rules and regulations to polling station attendants and other essential staff at the constituency level."

The Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association, Mr Mohammed Nurudeen Issahaq, told journalists to exhibit a high sense of professionalism by demonstrating fairness and good judgment in their reportage on the elections.

He explained that as the fourth estate of the realm, the media had a big task to perform to help nurture and enhance the country's young democracy. Mr Issahaq urged media personnel to help promote peace in the forthcoming election. KAB Governance Consult was the facilitator of the workshop, which was sponsored by the Netherlands Institute for Multi-Party Democracy.