Publicize district level elections the way you do for presidential and parliamentary polls – Mahama tells EC

Former President John Dramani Mahama

 has told the Electoral Commission (EC) to advertise the district-level elections as it does for presidential and parliamentary polls.

This, in his view, will get more people aware of and interested in the district assembly elections.

Asked what could be done to raise the interest of Ghanaians in the district assembly elections after casting his ballot in the ongoing elections in his electoral area in Bamoboi, on Tuesday, December 19, he said, “There is a lot more communication with the presidential and parliamentary elections. Those elections attract a lot more interest than the assembly elections. The assembly elections, traditionally, since we started the district assembly, have always had a lower turnout than presidential and parliamentary elections.

“But I do think that if we communicate and advertise those elections further, make our decentralization deeper, and put more resources into it, it will make people more interested in it. For instance, if we start paying assembly members an allowance, it is going to increase interest in those elections. I think it will be a keener contest than they currently are.”

Mr. Mahama told the Electoral Commission (EC) to organize itself well to avoid the technical challenges witnessed in some electoral areas in the ongoing district-level elections from happening in the 2024 general elections.

He says the national elections, the presidential and parliamentary polls, are more emotive; hence, the commission must do well to prevent the technical hitches from happening.

Speaking to journalists after casting his ballot in the ongoing district-level elections in Bole on Tuesday, December 19, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) said, “Unfortunately, I hear there are glitches in many places. I hope that the EC will get its acts together because we know that national, presidential, and parliamentary are more emotive, and if people go to the polls on December 7, 2024, and some of these glitches occur, it will lead to a lot of chaos and so the EC has to get its acts together.”

The commission has rescheduled the district-level elections in some Electoral Areas in the Eastern Region to Thursday, December 21.

This is due to several technical challenges encountered at the start of voting on Tuesday, December 19.

The commission assured voters in the affected areas that they would cast their ballots on the new date. The commission urged all Ghanaians to fully participate in the exercise.

Addressing the press in Accra on Monday, December 18, the Chair of the Commission, Mrs Jean Adukwei Mensa, said, “Experience over the years shows that this election is not highly participated in. Let us make this election meaningful.

“We are all aware that developments start at the district level, and therefore it is important that, as citizens, we have a say and a stake in who brings development to our various districts.”