Kumasi, Aug. 1, GNA - Mr Emmanuel Asamoah Owusu-Ansah, Ashanti Regional Minister, has hailed the smooth take-off of the voters registration exercise in the Kumasi Metropolis. He said he was particularly impressed with the high turn-out of residents at registration centres in spite of the torrential rains that preceded the exercise on Thursday morning. Mr Owusu-Ansah was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at the Asawasi Community Registration Centre in Kumasi after he paid a working visit to the registration centres to acquaint himself with proceedings.

The Electoral Commission (EC) re-opened the voters register on Thursday for the supplementary registration of eligible voters for the December general elections. The exercise is designed to capture Ghanaians who have attained the age of 18 and those who are above 18 but have never registered before and is expected to end on August 10, this year.

When GNA visited the Asawasi Community Registration Centre, at about 0830 hours, a total of seven people have registered, whilst over 400 people were also in a queue waiting anxiously to be registered. Nana Kwaku Sarpong, the Centre Registration Officer said registration opened at 0730 hours and that all relevant materials were intact. He noted that a lot more people were expected to register judging from the enthusiasm with which residents were thronging the centre.

At the Aboabo M/A Basic School, a total of 18 people had registered as of 0900 hours whilst over 200 people had queued to be registered when the GNA visited the centre. Other places the GNA visited included Sompaduase Vicarage, Ayeduase M/A School, Kumasi Academy and Chirapatre R/C Basic School Registration Centres.