By: Francis Tandoh
The Coalition for Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) said here Friday it was satisfied with preparation put in place by the Electoral Commission (EC) and the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) in the run-up to the country?s District Assembly and Unit Committee Elections.
It follows the release of the fourth pre-election environment observation statement on the theme: ?Enhancing Citizen Participation in the 2015 Local Government and District Assembly Elections: Deepening Ghana?s Decentralization Process released here.
Voters in Ghana go to the poll on March 3 to exercise their franchise to elect people to the various District Assemblies and Unit Committees across the country.
A statement released here and signed by Albert Kofi Arhin CODEO Coordinator for CODEO said the electoral body undertook pilot voting, conducted training exercises for its polling officials, posted notices to inform voters of the coming election as well as created platforms to sensitize the people.
The NCCE, the domestic election observers emphasized adopted a collaborative approach to reach out to voters and aspirants, met with groups to educate them as well as to use radio programs to disseminate information concerning theMarch 3rd district level elections.
The EC and NCCE, in particular, are to be commended for continuing with the education of the electorates, especially in their work encouraging marginalized groups like women and persons with disabilities (PwDs) to contest to be voted for in the impending district level elections.
The statement also commended the Ghanaian media and civil society organizations that have increased their advocacy activities to stimulate the interest of the general public in the district assembly elections.
The domestic election watchers will deploy close to 700 of its observers to sampled polling stations in 86 selected districts throughout the country on the day of the election as poll watchers.
These observers will be both stationary and roaming. CODEO was expected to observe the set-up, voting and counting process and votes cast while taking note of any incidences that might occur.
The statement further emphasized CODEO will continue to observe the pre-election environment and inform the general public through regular media releases regarding the District assembly and Unit Committee Elections.
The pre-election observation exercise forms part of CODEO?s comprehensive project to observe the impending District Assembly and Unit Committee Elections.
The report captures observations made by CODEO?s 86 long term pre-election observers and peer educators, all of whom are women, during the latter part of January and the month of February.
CODEO observers are deployed to 86 purposefully selected districts in all ten regions of the country (see appendix A below for the list of districts). They submit observation reports fortnightly to CODEO?s secretariat in Accra.
Meanwhile, a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court on Friday declared the March 3 District Assembly and Unit Committee elections unconstitutional.
The judges unanimously ruled the EC must reopen nominations after one Benjamin Eyi Mensah, a fisherman aspiring to become the assemblyman for an Electoral Area within the Effutu District of the Central Region (Province), dragged the EC to the apex Court over the election body?s refusal to register him as an aspirant for the local elections.
Source:?spyGhana.com
