Regional News of Thursday, 15 March 2012

Source: GNA

EC entreated to comply with regulations governing biometric registration.

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Tarkwa Nsuem constituency, Mrs. Gifty Eugenie Kusi has entreated the municipal electoral officer to do everything possible to comply with regulations governing the upcoming biometric voter registration for a peaceful and successful poll.

She said to ensure an effective exercise, Parliament had passed a constitutional instrument (C.I. 72) to govern the exercise.

The MP said this on Thursday at the second session meeting of the Tarkwa Nsuem assembly.

Mrs. Kusi reminded assembly members, department heads, institutions and agencies present at the meeting to ensure that they maintain the peaceful atmosphere in the municipality.

The MP charged assembly members to educate themselves on the constitutional instrument governing the registration exercise so that they could answer any question posed by their constituents on the registration.

Mrs. Christina Kobinah, Municipal Chief Executive Officer for Tarkwa Nsuem speaking on development in the area said the assembly had so far initiated twenty five projects that were yet to be completed.

They include classroom blocks with ancillary facilities; refuse bay; provision of dual desks; supply of electricity; market sheds and rehabilitation of existing classroom blocks.

She said the assembly had also taken delivery of forty-three motor bikes for assembly members, adding that registration and insurance on the motor bikes will be completed in the shortest possible time.

The MCE urged assembly members to work harder than before and focus on the objectives of the assembly to enable them to achieve the goals that they had set for the municipality.

The Municipal electoral officer of Tarkwa Nsuem, Mr. Kwaku Owusu Addo used the opportunity to educate members on the preparedness of his officials for the upcoming voter registration exercise.

According to him the old method of registering voters did not have inbuilt mechanisms for detecting multiple registration and therefore there were instances where unscrupulous individuals registered more than once.

He said the biometric technology will ensure the detection and removal of multiple registrations from the system, adding that with this method a more accurate and reliable register will be produced for the elections.

Mr. Owusu Addo said a team of registration officials will operate in four polling stations for a period of 10 days within the municipality, after which they will move to another registration center within the cluster for another 10 days.

He therefore called on Ghanaians who are 18 years and above and of sound mind to register when the time is due.**