NPP Issues Guidelines for Election of Polling Station Officers

The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has issued guidelines for the party’s imminent election of polling station officers and electoral area coordinators across the country.

The party is set to elect its polling station officials from 17th to 21st January, 2018, with the electoral area elections coming off between 26th and 29th January, 2018.

The NPP, in a statement signed by its Acting General Secretary, John Boadu, directed that “the various Regional Executive Committees of the party see to the formation of a Polling Station Elections Committee (PSEC) and Electoral Area Elections Committee (EAEC) in each Constituency for the purpose of conducting and supervising the polling station and electoral area elections respectively in the respective constituencies.”

The statement also instructed that the names of the Committees’ members be submitted to the NPP’s National Secretariat by Friday, January 12, 2018.

The composition of the committee according to the party should comprise:

– One Regional Representative appointed by the Regional Executive Committee who shall be the chair of the committee

– One Constituency Representative appointed by the Constituency Executive Committee

– The Constituency Research/Elections officer

– Two Representatives from the Constituency Council of Elders and Patrons, one of whom shall be a woman

According to the NPP, the Polling Station Elections Committee and Electoral Area Elections Committee have the mandate to determine the specific venue and exact date on which the elections will be held “but this should not be outside the aforementioned timelines.”

Nominations opened

The NPP, in the statement, also announced that it has opened nominations for persons wishing to contest the various polling station positions in the party.

“Application Forms are to be picked from the polling station executive committee as constituted in each Constituency,” the statement added.

Ellembelle NPP supporters besiege NPP HQ over register

Some members of the NPP in the Ellembelle Constituency of the Western Region, in December 2017 besieged the party’s headquarters in Accra, demanding that their National Executives furnish them with their original polling station register.

According to the livid NPP members, their constituency’s party chairman, Samuel Akenya, has refused to make available the original registers to the 16 polling station officers.

They claimed the Constituency Chairman has instead made available other forms for the registration process which he will collate all registered names himself.

In the view of the constituents, this was a ploy to manipulate the election of party executives at the constituency level, through to the national level.

Read full statement below:

NPP ISSUES GUIDELINES FOR THE ELECTION OF POLLING STATION OFFICERS AND ELECTORAL AREA COORDINATORS

The NPP wishes to inform members of the party and the general public that it has issued Guidelines (Rules and Regulations) for the election of party officers at the polling station and electoral area levels. This follows the decision of the party’s National Council at its meeting on Monday, January 8, 2018, which approved the said Guidelines.

The Guidelines provide that the various Regional Executive Committees of the party see to the formation of a Polling Station Elections Committee (PSEC) and Electoral Area Elections Committee (EAEC) in each Constituency for the purpose of CONDUCTING and SUPERVISING all the polling station and electoral area elections respectively in the respective constituencies.

The composition of the PSEC/EAEC is as follows:

– One Regional Representative appointed by the Regional Executive Committee who shall be the chair of the committee

– One Constituency Representative appointed by the Constituency Executive Committee

– The Constituency Research/Elections officer

– Two Representatives from the Constituency Council of Elders and Patrons, one of whom shall be a woman

The polling station elections shall be held from 17th to 21st January, 2018 whereas the electoral area elections will come off between 26th and 29th January, 2018. In both cases, it is the duty of the PSEC/EAEC to determine the specific venue and exact date within which to hold the elections but this should not be outside the aforementioned timelines.

These committees (PSEC and EAEC) are to be constituted immediately and the names of the members submitted to the National Secretariat not later than Friday, 12th January, 2018.

Meanwhile, nominations have been opened for persons wishing to contest for the various polling station positions in the party. Application Forms are to be picked from the polling station executive committee as constituted in each Constituency. The other relevant rules and regulations have been attached to the Application Forms for the indulgence of all.

The party anticipates the usual cooperation of members in this crucial exercise to ensure incidence-free primaries.

Thank you.

 

…Signed…

 

JOHN BOADU

General Secretary (Ag)

Source: Citifmonline