The District Level Elections (DLEs) in the New Juaben South municipality, Eastern Regional have been abruptly called off due to unprecedented challenges.
Electoral officials and security personnel, present at the polling stations, were forced to vacate at 9:40 am following official communication regarding the decision.
The unexpected turn of events raises questions about the nature of challenges faced during the electoral process, leaving both officials and voters in a state of uncertainty.
Many angry voters had earlier in the morning stormed out of various polling stations over unprecedented delay in the start of voting for the District Level Elections (DLEs).
The election has been fraughted with rocky start as the late arrival of voting materials have left many voters frustrated.
Despite the Electoral Commission officials being ready, the voting materials including ballot boxes,booths and ballot papers for the voting exercise slated to begin at 7:00 am, had not arrived as of 9:40am, causing unrest among the electorate.
Security personnel, comprising police, fire service, and immigration, were present at the polling stations, ready for the electoral process.
However, the delay prompted early-bird voters, hoping to cast their votes before work, to express anger at the prolonged wait. Some voters, in frustration, opted to leave the voting centers, vowing not to return.
EC officials at the center refused to speak to the media.
However official communication from EC headquarters in Accra confirmed elections in Eastern and Ashanti Regions have been rescheduled to Thursday 21,2023.
The District Levels Election is taking place in across 6,215 electoral areas in Ghana with 66,257 candidates contesting.
The Minister for Local Government Decentralization and Rural Development, Hon. Dan Botwe, has urged citizens to actively participate.
Expressing concern over declining voter turnout since 1998, he set a target of achieving a minimum 50% voter turnout for this year’s elections.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah
