Tag Archives: Jean Mensa

News, Politics

2024 Special voting to be held on December 2

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The Electoral Commission has announced that its special voting session will be held  on December 2, 2024, ahead of the general elections scheduled for December 7.

Special voting is a provision for a specific group of registered voters, including journalists and security agencies, allowing them to cast their votes before the general voting day.

To be eligible for special voting, individuals and organizations must submit applications between June 17 and July 1, 2024, providing evidence that they will be engaged on Election Day.

Jean Mensa, the chairperson of the Electoral Commission, made this announcement during a press conference in Accra on Tuesday.

“All applicants for special voting should apply directly to the returning officer of the constituency where the applicant is a registered voter. Members of institutions who desire to apply as a group will submit a list of their members to the returning officers to serve as a register to facilitate the process,” she explained.
“The list must contain the names of each applicant, the voter ID card, the polling station code as it appears on the voter’s ID card of the applicants…Please note that all applicants must apply in person to the returning officer,” she stated.
Source: Myxyzonline.com
News, Politics

EC must Provide names of staff arrested over theft of BVRs – Asiedu Nketia

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The National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has challenged the Electoral Commission (EC) to publish names of its staff who have been arrested in connection with the alleged theft of five Biometric Verification Registration (BVR) devices.

The election management body, after series of denial, recently confirmed that some of its BVRs had been stolen from its stores, raising eyebrows in the country. As the main opposition NDC mounted pressure on the EC to find the equipment, the Commission reported that some staff had been interdicted in connection with the stolen BVRs.

Earler this week, the Director of Electoral Services at the EC, Dr Serebour Quaicoe, told new men that the Commission had handed over some 5 individuals suspected to be involved in the alleged theft of the BVR devices to the police.

Speaking to JoyNews on April 13, Dr Quaicoe disclosed the police began investigating the matter about a month ago when the electoral body officially noticed the BVRs were missing.

“So they have been interdicted and they are now going through the security investigation. I am told that they will be arraigned before court soon. If they are found guilty, the law should deal with them,” he said while urging Ghanaians that there was no cause for alarm about the missing BVRs since they have not been activated.

But in a reaction to the development, Asiedu Nketiah, Chairman of the NDC cast doubt over the assertions of Dr Quaicoe and urged the EC to publish the names of the staff who had been handed over to the police.

Speaking on Inside Politics on TV XYZ, Asiedu Nketia also known as General Mosquito quizzed: “Who are those people who have been arrested? have they published anyone’s name? Don’t they have names? Why have they not been exposed?”

“The persons who have stolen the equipment can register people elesewhere into the ECs database. We have seen NPP affiliated persons taken peoples’ Ghana card outside Ghana elsewhere. Tell us those you have apprehended,” he said in Akan.

 

Concerns

Meanwhile, Civil Society Organisation CARE Ghana has cautioned that the missing biometric verification devices (BVDs) belonging to the Electoral Commission (EC) can negatively affect the integrity of the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections.

The Executive Director of CARE Ghana, David Kumi Addo, who spoke on TV XYZ evening news posited that the stolen devices can be used to disrupt the upcoming limited registration exercise to be conducted by the EC and the December 7 elections if the electoral management body fails to find the kits.

“This is a national issue and I think all Ghanaians must be interested in this matter,” Kumi Addo told Oheneba Boamah Bennie.

“These devices can be used to delete the data of the EC, transfer voters from one constituency to the other and cause confusion on election day,” he added.

 

By: Henryson Okrah /Myxyzonline.com

News, Politics, Topstory

Why conduct by-election at Ejisu and ignore Guan constituency? – Mosquito tackles EC

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The National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Johnson Asiedu Nketia is wondering why the Electoral Commission (EC) is preparing to conduct a by-election at Ejisu in the Ashanti Region while the residents of Guan in the Oti Region have been without a representative in Parliament since 2020.

The people in the Guan District made up of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lipke and Lolobi (SALL)  did not partake in the December 7, 2020, parliamentary election, but only voted in the presidential election.

This was after an announcement by the EC on December 6, 2020 not to partake in the parliamentary elections of Hohoe since the creation of the new regions had taken them away from the constituency.

They have been without a legislator since 2021 yet the EC has not made a by-election for them to get a representation in Parliament.

Following the death of the MP for Ejisu, John Kumah, who was also a Deputy Minister for Finance, the EC will hold by-election in Ejisu on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 for the by-election to elect a new MP some 8 months before the country goes to polls.

However, speaking to Mugabe Maase on Inside Politics on TV XYZ, the Chairman of the NDC, Asiedu Nketia said he did not understand why the EC failed to organise election for the people of Guan to elect a legislator.

“There is a by-election to be held in Ejisu following the demise of their MP. We will vote this year but what I am finding difficult to accept is the fact that the Electoral Commission has failed to do same for the people of Guan for almost 4 years,” stated Mr Nketia affectionately called General Mosquito.

“An  Instrument has been sent to Parliament which has successfully created the Guan Constituency, comprising Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe, and Lolobi so why don’t they organise a by-election to get them a Member of Parliament?,” he quizzed.

He said the people in that part of the country have not been treated fairly by the EC.

Ejisu Primary

Meanwhile, a private legal practitioner, Kwabena Boateng, has been elected as the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for Ejisu after a primary was held on April 13.

He beat eight other persons including former Ghana Football Association (GFA) boss, Kwesi Nyantakyi to become the NPP’s parliamentary candidate ahead of the by-election.

The others were Dr Evans Duah, Klinsman Karikari Mensah, Helena Mensah, Jacqueline Abena Pokua Amoah-Boaitey, Portia Baffoe Abronye, Aaron Prince Duah and Yaa Gyamera Aboagye.

According to the Electoral Commission, Kwabena Boateng secured 394 votes out of a total of 1033 valid votes cast.

His closest competitor, Madam Helena Mensah, had 302 votes. Meanwhile, Yaa Gyamera Aboagye got 229 votes and former GFA boss Kwesi Nyantakyi had only 35 of the votes cast.

 

Source: Myxyzonline.com

 

News, Politics

Election 2024:EC releases calendar

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The Electoral Commission (EC) will receive nominations of candidates for this year’s presidential and parliamentary elections from September 9 to 13 in a major countdown to the climax of the political season.

This will be followed by the balloting for positions on the presidential ballot paper on September 23, 2024, and the parliamentary balloting on September 24, 2024.

Furthermore, the EC expects to declare the results of the 2024 presidential polls within three days of the voting exercise, if everything goes according to plan.

In its programme of activities for the 2024 general election, obtained exclusively by the Daily Graphic, the EC will conduct a voters’ registration exercise from May 7 to May 27, 2024, and proceed with a nationwide exercise to replace missing voter ID cards from May 30, 2024.

The registration exercise will, however, be preceded by 56 days of public education on the exercise from April 1 to May 26, 2024.

Per the schedule, available to the Daily Graphic, the EC intends to submit the provisional voters’ register to the political parties between July 9 and 18, 2024, and mount an exhibition of the voters register between July 15 and 24, 2024.

The final voters register is expected to be submitted to the political parties between August 30 and September 5, 2024.

Meetings

In between the datelines, the EC — per the schedule — will hold meetings with stakeholders outside the political parties frame, and also engage the public through its “Let the Citizen Know” series.

Sources within the EC said this exercise was intended to ensure that all stakeholders understood and appreciated the efforts towards a free and fair electoral process in order to eliminate any tendencies for suspicion and mistrust.

The exercise, the source said, would be in line with the EC’s mandate to ensure and enhance open and transparent operations of the electoral processes.

The sources at the EC told the Daily Graphic that the EC would be holding its Special Voting for selected professionals on December 2, five days before the main polls.

It will be opened for security agencies and accredited media practitioners who would be performing duties during election day on December 7, 2024.

All the dates are, however, subject to review, the sources indicated to the Daily Graphic.

Results

The sources said although there was no law requiring the EC to declare the results within a specified period, the EC intended to ensure that it would be able to declare the presidential results within a maximum of three days.

The sources indicated that the Regional Collation Centres would be maintained to announce the results at the regional level.

Source: Graphiconline

News, Politics

EC justifies proposal to close polls at 3pm during 2024 elections

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The Electoral Commission (EC) insists it will shift the closing time of voting from 5:00 pm to 3:00 pm during the 2024 general elections.

Chairperson of the Commission, Mrs Jean Mensa, the main proponent of the new time for ending polls explained that the adjustment will help to facilitate the transparent and orderly collation of votes by electoral officers in broad daylight.

She justified the proposal while addressing participants at an inter-party dialogue and stock-taking conference organized by the National Peace Council in Accra on Thursday, December 14.

Mrs Mensa further explained that the adjustment of the closing time is achievable because approximately 70 percent of voting centres across the country witnessed minimal activity by 1:00 pm during the 2020 polls.

Jean Mensa, EC Boss

She added the development will help diminish the long queues that have historically characterized elections, streamlining the voting process for citizens.

“In 2020, 70 percent of our polling centres had a voter threshold of 500 and below. This time we intend to ensure that all our polling station centers have a threshold of 500 voters and below. In the same vein, we will increase the number of our polling stations nationwide.

“We believe that this will go a long way to reduce the long queues that characterize our elections and allow for a smooth, seamless, hustle-free voting process. In 2020, it took voters not more than five minutes to cast their votes due to the introduction of this policy. Based on our 2020 experience and also feedback from several observer groups we propose to close the polls at 3:00 pm.

“Our experience in 2020 reveals that by 1:00 pm, 70 percent of our polling stations were empty of voters as most voters had cast their votes. This made it possible because the threshold of most polling centres was reduced to 500 voters per voting centre.

 

Source: Myxyzonline.com

News, Politics

Jasikan & Guan districts hold District Level Elections in Dec. 19 – EC

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The Electoral Commis­sion (EC) says it  will conduct the District Level Elections in the Jasikan and Guan districts in the Oti Region on December 19, 2023,  same as the other districts.

Although nominations were not received on the 16th and 17th of November for the election, the C.I. 119 (to be amended) which was laid in Parliament has not matured.

The Commission, in a press statement signed by its Acting Head of Pub­lic Affairs, Mr Michael Boadu, said following the passage of the C.I. and in accordance with the District Level Elections Regulations 2015 (C.I. 89), the Electoral Commis­sion would conduct the District Level Elections in these two districts on the 19th of December, 2023.

According to the statement posted on its website, the EC said Nomination Forms may be ob­tained free of charge at the Jasikan and Guan District Offices of the Electoral Commission or on the website of the commission.

“Completed Nomination Forms must be delivered in quadruplicate by either the Candidate or the Pro­poser or Seconder together with two copies of a recent post-card sized photographs (bust sized) to the Returning Officer of the Elec­toral Area for which the Candidate seeks election, from Thursday, the 7th to Friday the 8th of Decem­ber, 2023 between the hours of nine o’clock in the morning to twelve noon and two o’clock to five o’clock in the evening on each day,” statement added.

It also noted that, Nominations for the District Assembly Elections would be witnessed by the signa­tures or marks of the Proposer and the Seconder and supported by eighteen (18) other persons who are residents and registered to vote in the Electoral Area.

“Nominations for the Unit Committee Elections shall be wit­nessed by the signatures or marks of the Proposer and the Seconder and supported by eight (8) other persons who are residents and registered to vote in the Electoral Area.

All enquiries related to these Elections should be addressed to the District Officers of the Elec­toral Commission in the Jasikan and Guan districts,” the statement added.

Source: Myxyzonline.com

News, Politics

[Video] Jean Mensa has blood on her hands – Oheneba fires

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Broadcaster Oheneba Boamah Bennie has slammed the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Adukwei Mensa, over her recent comment on election violence in the country.

The host of Gumbe Show on TV XYZ said the EC Boss has no moral right to talk about election violence when she rubbished the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election melee which resulted in the maiming of several people in in 2019.

According to Oheneba, Mrs Mensa described the by-election as incident-free whereas some inhabitants of Bawaleshi hasd been hospitalised due to a shooting incident that marred the polls.

“Jeean Mensa said the Ayawaso West Wuogon election was without incident…You have blood on your hands. You supervised elections that resulted in the killing of innocent Ghanaians,” Oheneba jabbed.

His criticisms comes after the EC Boss, in a recent meeting with the IGP, noted with concerns that Ghana is currently experiencing planned attempts to unleash violence before, during, and after elections.

Jean Mensa averred that the violence was being orchestrated to dent the image of institutions such as the EC, the Police Service and other security agencies.

“We are aware of the security threats we face today when elections are coming. The evidence of threats to our security confronts us daily. Indeed, elections have become the lifeblood of our society, people eat, drink, and breathe elections 24 hours a day. We do witness the dialogues on our radio and TV on a 24-hour basis, the quest for power today has become so fierce,” she lamented.

But Oheneba who watered down the assertions of the EC Boss indicated that the EC Boss has been inefficient since she was appointed to manage elections in the country.

 

Source: Myxyzonline.com