Voting started slowly in some parts of the Upper East Region, even though long queues had formed by 0700 hours.

Voting in many places started after 0730 hrs due to late arrival of voting materials or some polling officials.

Mr Hassan Ayariga, the People’s National Convention (PNC), Presidential Candidate, voted at 0930hrs in Bawku central at the Bawku Secondary Technical School.

Speaking to the press after voting, Mr Ayariga said the elections would further deepen the country’s democracy.

He reiterated that he was sure to win the elections in the first round of voting and would contribute to the development of Bawku and the country.

At majority of the stations, the Biometric Verification Devise (BVD) was either too slow or continuously rejected voters who had their ID cards. At the Zamstech Polling Station A in the Bolgatanga constituency, 25 people out of the 566 registered voters had cast their votes by 0822hrs as the process was slowed down by the BVD that rejected some voters.

At the Methodist Polling Station in Bawku Central, 20 people out of 540 registered voters had voted by 0830 hrs due to the ineffective BVD that frustrated some people and they started leaving the queue to go home.

The Pelungu Market Polling Station in the Nabdam Constituency also had problems with its BVD and only four people had voted by 8.30hours.

At the Mount Sinai Polling Station in Bolgatanga, only three people had voted by 7.45 hrs because one of the polling assistants was absent and someone had to take his responsibility while the JSQ Station had only two voters out of the over 500 registered voters due to the late arrival of the BVD.

Meanwhile voting was going smoothly at the Zamstech Polling Station B, where 61 people had voted by 0900hrs out of the 569 registered voters. The BVD had rejected six people who had their ID cards.