Accra, Dec. 1, GNA - Election 2008 kicks off officially on Tuesday, December 2, with special voting by those who would be on duty on Election Day, Sunday, December 7.

Those expected to cast the early votes include members of the Ghana Armed Forces, Police, Prisons, Customs, Excise and Preventive Service, Ghana National Fire Service, Journalists, Electoral Commission (EC) officials and staff of essential services.

Special polling stations have been mapped out by the EC for the exercise and voting starts at 0700 hours and ends 1700. In an interview with Ghana News Agency in Accra on Monday, Mr Albert Kofi Arhin said the commission was ready to kick-off Election 2008 with the special voting on Tuesday. "All logistics and personnel are ready to ensure a smooth start of the election," he said, and appealed to the public to adhere to all electoral rules and regulations.

He said after the Special Voting, the ballot boxes, which would be sealed before voting starts, would not be opened. They would be transported to safe places for storage and opened only after the general population voted on Sunday, December 7.

Seven political parties and an independent candidate are contesting for the single Presidential slot, whilst about 1,062 Parliamentary Candidates are contesting for the 230 seats in Parliament. The Presidential Candidates for the political parties and how they would appear on the ballot paper are, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo (New Patriotic Party); Dr Edward Nasigrie Mahama (People's National Convention) and Professor John Evans Atta Mills (National Democratic Congress).

Mr Emmanuel Ansah Antwi of the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) will be fourth, Mr Thomas Ward-Brew of the Democratic People's Party (DPP) will be fifth, Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom of the Convention People's Party)CPP) will be sixth, Mr Kwamena Adjei of the Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RPD) will be seventh, while Mr Kwesi Amoafo-Yeboah, the independent candidate, will be eighth.

The vote will see the successor of President John Agyekum Kufuor, who ends his second four-year term on January 6, 2009.

According to the EC the positions would be the same for Parliamentary candidates, with independent candidates coming after candidates of the political parties in alphabetical order.