Election 2024: Special voting underway in Eastern and Western Regions

The special voting exercise is currently ongoing in the Eastern and Western Regions today, Thursday, 5th December 2024. This arrangement allows security personnel, media practitioners, electoral officers, and other stakeholders involved in Saturday's 7th December general elections to cast their votes ahead of time.

Initially, the exercise was conducted across 14 out of the country’s 16 regions on Monday, 2nd December. However, voting in the Eastern and Western Regions was postponed by the Electoral Commission (EC) due to a leakage involving a single defaced presidential ballot paper. The EC reprinted the ballot papers and redistributed them to all 33 constituencies in the two regions on Wednesday, 4th December.

Voting began promptly at 7:00 a.m. this morning and is scheduled to close at 5:00 p.m. Over 12,000 eligible voters are expected to participate at designated polling stations. The results from this exercise will be merged with those of the general election before the final declaration.

The exercise in both regions has so far been smooth, with no reports of violence. However, the earlier special voting exercise on 2nd December faced allegations of vote-buying and unauthorised photographing of ballot papers.

Notably, an incident in the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency of the Greater Accra Region drew widespread condemnation after the incumbent MP, Lydia Seyram Alhassan, was accused of distributing food packs to voters in a queue.

This act has been criticised by the public and stakeholders, including the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ). Her opponent, John Dumelo of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has since filed a complaint with the Office of the Special Prosecutor.

Today’s special voting in the Eastern and Western Regions sets the stage for the highly anticipated presidential and parliamentary elections on Saturday, 7th December 2024. Key stakeholders, including EC Chairperson Jean Mensa, IGP Dr George Akuffo Dampare, and various political parties, have pledged their commitment to ensuring a peaceful and transparent election process.