Election 2020: EC Prints Ballot Papers ….Political Parties Notified

Barring any last minute hitches, the Electoral Commission (EC) is expected to begin the printing of election materials for the December Presidential and Parliamentary polls.

These include the printing of the notices of polls and the ballot papers from today Monday, October 26, at some seven printing houses in Accra.

This follows a letter to all political parties contesting the election to delegate a representative each to observe the around-the-clock printing of the materials at each of the seven printing houses.

According to correspondence between the EC and the parties, each party is expected to send in details of their representatives to the Commission by today for the necessary accreditation.

Parties Notified

When contacted, Hassan Ayariga, the presidential candidate of the All Peoples Congress (APC) said in a telephone interview with the paper yesterday that the EC has duly notified the party about the impending printing of the ballot papers.

He stated that the party would be duly represented at the printing press.

The Presidential candidate of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) Ivor Kobina Greenstreet    in another interaction with the paper said the party would be represented by its Greater Accra Regional Chairman and another member of the party’s legal team.

Founder and Presidential candidate of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), Mr. Kofi Akpaloo expressed similar sentiments when contacted for comments.

He also noted that the party has been notified of the printing of the ballot papers by the Commission.

However, the Public Relations Officer of the Commission, Slyvia Annor when contacted declined comments expect to say that she would call back but failed to do so as at press time yesterday.

The EC last week supervised a balloting process that saw the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) taking the number one position on the ballot sheet followed by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the December 7, polls.

Parties On The Ballot

The Ghana Union Movement (GUM); Convection Peoples Party, (CPP); Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) and the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) picked the third, fourth, fifth and sixth positions respectively.

The All Peoples Congress (APC), the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), the People’s National Convention (PNC), the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) and Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings’ National Democratic Party (NDP) would appear at the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth positions while independent candidates, automatically occupies the twelfth spot.

The balloting came a day after the Commission disqualified some five aspirants for breaching aspects of the nomination process, for which they have been referred to the police for prosecution on the grounds of forgery.

They are Messrs. Kwesi Busumbru of the People’s Action Party (PAP), Agyenim Boateng of the United Front Party (UFP), Akwasi Addai Odike of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Kofi Gane and Kofi Koranteng, both independent aspirants.

Meanwhile, some of the disqualified aspirants are however lacing their boots to reverse the EC’s decision to disqualify them from the December presidential elections.