Let's do it in dignity - President urges all Ghanaians
10,698,908 eligible to vote today
Ghanaians go to the polls today
Time for change
Minister caught with ballot boxes
Police have no power
Election 2000: what the candidates say!
Let's do it in dignity - President urges all Ghanaians
President Jerry John Rawlings on the eve of Thursday's elections called on Ghanaians not to do anything on the occasion of the polls that will reduce the country to the level of some other countries for which democratisation has become a nightmare.
In a radio and TV broadcast, he said it is for this reason that he has persistently cautioned against anything that could question the integrity of the electoral process.
The President expressed regret at the distortion of the appeals that he had been making, which has serve as a campaign issue of certain political figures, saying certain foreign organisations and governments have fallen prey to the disinformation and sought to use it as a basis to question the government's commitment to democracy.
"For me the loss of even a single Ghanaian life over election disputes is already a life too many", he said.
He noted that if by dint of hard work, Ghanaians have collectively managed to bring themselves to the relatively satisfactory level of development it will be unwise for it to occur to anybody that the government will pull down the edifice it has led the people to build.
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10,698,908 eligible to vote today
The Daily Graphic says over 10 million Ghanaian voters are expected to cast their ballots at 20,096 polling stations throughout the country in Thursday's general elections to elect a new President and 199 Members of Parliament.
Ashanti Region tops both the registered voters list and number of polling stations with 1,976,962 voters and 3,478 polling stations respectively.
The latest figures from the Electoral Commission (EC) puts Greater Accra at 1,844,000 registered voters and 2,255 polling stations, Eastern, 1,187,573 voters for 2,522 polling stations while the Western Region has 1,076,778 voters for 2,172 polling stations.
The Brong Ahafo Region has 1,041, 923 registered voters and 2,292 polling stations, Volta, 983,588 voters and 1,904 polling stations, Northern 931, 233 voters and 1,958 polling stations and Central 870,570 voters and 1,710 polling stations.
The Upper East and West Regions have 478,158 and 303,264 registered voters respectively, as well as 814 and 991 respective polling stations.
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Ghanaians go to the polls today
The Ghanaian Times writes that a total of 10.7 million voters are casting their votes today at 20,112 polling stations throughout the country to elect a President and 200 parliamentarians.
Seven candidates are contesting the presidency, each on the ticket of a political party, while 1,068 are vying for the 200-member legislative.
The Presidential aspirants are Mr Daniel Lartey, Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, National Democratic Congress (NDC), Prof. George Hagan, Convention People's Party (CPP), and Dr Edward Nasigre Mahama, People's National Convention (PNC).
The rest are Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby, United Ghana Movement (UGM), Mr Augustus Goosie Tanoh, National Reform Party (NRP) and Mr John Agyekum Kufuor, New Patriotic Party (NPP). Out of the 1,068 parliamentary aspirants, 973 are males while 95 are females.
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Time for change
The Guide and the Accra Mail carry the same banner headline, calling for a new hand and government to administer the fortunes of the country.
The Guide says as millions of Ghanaians go to the polls on Thursday, there are several reasons why it pleads and supports a change.
It said the beauty of democracy does not merely lie in the ability of the citizenry to go to the polls every four years but to do so to change governments when policies and programmes are bad and do not help people.
It said for nearly 20 years, the people of the country have heard the same voices, promises, refrains and policies, which have succeeded in enriching the few, while the vast majority get impoverished.
"Thousands of people have lost their jobs within this 20 years of economic adjustments and reforms, than those who retained their jobs. About 70 per cent of young able bodied men and women who flood the labour market each year have no jobs," the paper said.
The Guide also criticises the poor delivery of the ruling government in the areas of health, education and others to the detriment of Ghanaians while officials of government live in affluence including enjoying overseas healthcare and education delivery for their relations.
It says the choice is for Ghanaians to make, if they like these conditions, but the paper adds however, that it is sure the people of the country deserve something better, which means voting for a change.
The Accra Mail on its part left its front-page barely with its headline caption, however, a resembling design of the NPP's symbol implied the paper's call for change. The Mail however appealed for a peaceful and transparent elections.
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Minister caught with ballot boxes
The Chronicle reports that the timely intervention by personnel of the Zibilla Police Station in Bawku in the Upper West Region, last Thursday saved Mr Cletus Avoka, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, from being lynched by a mob after he was allegedly caught with four ballot boxes.
The Zibilla Police however say Avoka, who is also the NDC parliamentary candidate for the area was only seen "hovering" around the area where the ballot boxes were being kept. A police source told the Chronicle that Hon. Avoka was kept for his own safety and later released.
Alhaji Ali Yussuf Isa, chairman of the People's National Convention (PNC), told the paper that he, while touring the area, was informed that Avoka had allegedly brought ballot boxes from Accra and kept them at a house in town.
The house owner was arrested by a combined team of the police and PNC members and while in the process of conveying him, spotted Avoka disembarking from his car and raised an alarm.
Sensing danger, he asked the police personnel to detain him for his own safety and the police obliged.
The race for the Bawku seat is said to be a straight one between the NDC's Avoka and Mr John Ndebugre of the PNC with the latter having the edge.
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Police have no power
Policemen and women at the polling stations have no right to prevent polling agents of political parties from exercising their electoral responsibilities, as they are legally required to do, the Electoral Commissioner, Dr K. Afari-Gyan, is reported by the Weekend Statesman as telling a questioner in Accra.
Dr Afari-Gyan, speaking at a press conference, reacted that the Supreme Court's decision last Monday did not strip polling agents of their powers, but expressed dissatisfaction with the conferment of too much power in their hands.
He explained that the agents, whose presence has the desired legal backing, perform the very important function of helping to check impersonation and double registration. Both problems have been contentious issues with the two previous national elections in this republic, with the EC itself expressing concern over multiple registrations.
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Election 2000: what the candidates say!
The Crusading Guide reports that each of the presidential candidates in Thursday’s election is certain of victory as they all claim they are convinced that their messages carried to the people whose mandate they are seeking have registered.
Mr Daniel A. Lartey of the GCPP says, "Ghana needs domestication policy. The problem in this country is not lack of resources, both human and natural. For the past 20 years, the PNDC/NDC governments have not concentrated on mobilising the resources to our economic advantage".
Prof. John Evans Atta Mills reportedly stated: "I am already there. December 7 will be another historic victory for the NDC. We will win because our cause is just: we will win because we have a track record: we stand for stability, unity and development".
Prof. George Hagan of the CPP also intimated: "Victory is ours. The CPP has done it before and it is going to do it again. Our victory this Thursday is assured because of our track record. The CPP tradition is the only political party that has been able to provide answers to the needs and problems of Ghanaians."
"A fresh start", airs Dr Wereko-Brobby of the UGM. "A fresh start will provide innovative, open and qualitative education, deliver quality and accessible healthcare and lead to the creation of an enabling environment for enterprise, acknowledge and reward achievement for enterprise, acknowledge, while it recognises and applaud excellence as the pillars on which to build economy."
"I am confident of victory," Mr Goosie Tanoh of the NRP stated. "Many people have speculated on Reform's place in next week's election. We know that many people have felt Reform was silent after the Congress in August but the opposite is true. We have been more active than ever."
"The time has come for a positive change," submits Mr J.A. Kufuor of the NPP. "Throughout my nationwide campaign tour, I have come to a realisation that majority of Ghanaians are seriously marginalised. The 20 years of uninterrupted governance by Mr Rawlings have seriously impoverished the people."
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