Accra, Feb. 1, GNA - The Electoral Commission (EC) has indicated that it would embark on a national exercise to re-demarcate and more create electoral areas.

"This exercise will however come on after the 2008 general election and the issue of Kasoa will be tackled among others," Mr Maxwell Jumah, Deputy Local Government Minister, said in Parliament on Friday in response to a question as to when Kasoa in the Central Region would have more than one electoral area.

He said the creation of electoral areas was within the mandate of the EC and that the Ministry was in contact with the Commission, particularly in respect to fast growing areas around Accra such as Weija, Adenta, Madina and Kasoa.

In response to another question, Mr Jumah told the House that there had been no reported case of a District Chief Executive (DCE) refusing to invite a member of parliament to a district tender committee meeting. "I wish to assure my honourable colleague that if there are specific cases of such, it should be brought to the attention of the Ministry and the necessary action will be taken."

The Deputy Minister was responding to a question from Dr Kwame Ampofo (NDC-South Dayi) on what was being done to ensure that DCEs comply with section 18 of the Public Procurement Act (Act 663) 2003, and what was being done about the refusal of these political leaders to invite MPs to tender committee meetings. Mr Jumah said the membership of tender committees includes MPs and therefore there should be no reason why MPs should not be invited. There was however several complaints from MPs on the floor of the House that this was not the case because some of them were not being invited to the meetings.

Mr Yaw Osafo Maafo (NPP-Akim Oda) suggested that the deputy Minister sends a circular to DCEs to comply with the law or face sanctions from the Ministry.