Politics of Sunday, 28 December 2008

Source: GNA

Election Region Tamale

Voting in the Presidential run-off in the Tamale Metropolis is in progress with an encouraging voter turn out as the voters queued up at polling stations as early as 0530 hours. The security personnel were also at post at all the polling stations as at 0700 hours except the Temporary Booth Polling Station at Changli in the Tamale Central constituency, where the Presiding Officer,

Mr Abu Mohammed had to call for the security as late as 0830 hours. At the Bishop Senior High School "A" Polling Station in the Tamale North Constituency, out of the 1,554 registered voters, 505 had cast their ballot as at 1030 hours.

Mr. Johnson Tistsia, the Presiding Officer, said there were 20 transferred voters and one proxy vote, adding that all the necessary voting materials were in place, while voting was proceeding smoothly. At the nearby Bishop Senior High School "B" Polling Station, out of the registered voter population of 6,115, 104 had voted by 1035 hours. Voting at the Esther Day Care Polling Station in the Tamale South Constituency started at 0705 hours with a long queue of voters waiting patiently to cast their ballot

The Presbyterian Senior High School Polling Station at Kukuo in the Tamale South Constituency had recorded 54 votes out of the 1,050 registered voters as at 0732 hours while at the SDA Primary School Polling Station 95 out of the 1,150 registered voters had voted by 0749 hours.

In the Savelugu Constituency, a large number of enthusiastic voters had queued up to cast their ballot when voting opened at 0700 hours. At the Kanshegu Polling Station, out of the 454 registered voters, 18 had voted as at 0720 hours. Mr Charles Kuadzi, Presiding Officer, told the GNA that there were three transferred votes and one proxy vote. Some of the polling stations however, were without security personnel but the election officials explained that there was no cause for alarm as those stations had always been peaceful.

Alhaji Abubakari Atori, Savelugu/Nanton District Chief Executive who spoke to the GNA after he had cast his vote at the Savelugu Experimental School Polling Station, expressed his satisfaction with the orderly manner of the voting and voter turn out in the Savelugu Constituency. He was hopeful that by the close of voting, "December 7" would be replicated in terms of the peaceful nature of the general election and the presidential run-off.