Accra, March 2, GNA - The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) would on March 15, inaugurate all the 170 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) except one, to ensure their smoot= h administration.

Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, Minister MLGRD at a press briefing in Accra on Wednesday said the inauguration was expected to put to rest the on-going discussions about how soon the Assemblies would be inaugurated. He, however, explained that the Electoral Commission was restrained by a court case from conducting elections in six electoral areas that were transferred from the Lower Manya Krobo District in the Eastern Region to th= e Dangme West District in the Greater Accra Region, resulting in the postponement of the inauguration of the Lower Manya Krobo District Assembly= .. Mr Ampofo said the Ministry was working tirelessly to address the issue as early as applicable in the interest of the people, saying government had been concerned about the vacuum created by the absence of th= e Assembly members and Assembly sessions which were crucial to the decision making process of the MMDAs.

Mr Ampofo explained that to ensure a successful inauguration, the Ministry had directed the Electoral Commission to take appropriate steps to address all petitions if any, and other related matters following the last district level elections. He said out of the total of 160 Electoral Areas, elections could not be conducted in 53 electoral areas due to unresolved issues such as boundar= y demarcations and non filing of nominations in some instances. He said the inauguration of the MMDAs were expected to take the form o= f durbars in all District capitals interlaced with photo exhibitions to showcase and highlight major achievements of MMDAs in the two year period o= f the NDC government.

It would also provide an opportunity for MMDAs to highlight the overal= l prospects and investment opportunities that abound in the various local government areas of the country. Mr Ampofo said a search party had also been constituted by the President to recommend qualified and suitable persons to replace the 13 District Chief Executives whose appointments were recently revoked. He implored all Assembly members to cooperate with each other during the nomination and confirmation of Presiding Members after the inauguration of the Assemblies to ensure their smooth operations.