Regional News of Monday, 25 September 2006

Source: GNA

EC gets ready for Local Government Elections on Tuesday in VR

Ho, Sept. 25, GNA - The Volta Regional Directorate of the Electoral Commission is mobilising all its workers, motorbikes and bicycles for the distribution of election materials to the most difficult to reach areas of the region, for the local government elections on Tuesday. Miss Laurencia Kpatakpa, Regional Director said this in an interview with the Ghana New Agency (GNA) in Ho on Monday. She said under the plans drawn for the elections to begin on schedule at all polling stations, some materials might also have to be carried by people on foot to areas where motor-cars cannot go.

Miss Kpatakpa said arrangements had been concluded for material to be ferried across rivers to over bank areas as well and that all materials were already in the districts for distribution. She said these "proactive plans" took into consideration the safety of the materials and the convenience of those hired to do the job. Asked if she expected a high turn out, Miss Kpatakpa said the trend of low turnout associated with local government elections in Ghana since 1988 was not likely to change.

She said one would have expected turnout to improve with every elections but rather it kept going down. Miss Kpatakpa said reasons for the low turnouts could not be lack of publicity, but low interest of the people in the district and unit committee elections, compared to the high profile presidential and parliamentary elections.