Ghana’s presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for December 7 have kicked off with a special voting exercise for selected voters on Tuesday.

Those voting today include security and allied personnel, medics, staff and officials of the Electoral Commission as well as journalists.

The special voting exercise is to free the selected voters who would be providing critical services on voting day.

Special polling centres opened at 7 am across the country for the exercise and early reports speak of smooth processes.

At the Kotobabi Police Station, where the Ayawaso Central Constituency is conducting its voting, several anxious voters have joined a long queue to cast their vote. By 11am, 180 persons had voted.

The Returning Officer for the constituency, Mr Edward Ofei Quansah, told Myjoyonline that the centre was provided with 500 ballots each for the parliamentary and presidential voting.

Smooth processes

	Special voters turn out in their numbers to cast their vote

The centre encountered some confusion early on as voters, non-registered in the constituency, were refused to vote in the parliamentary election. However, they could vote in the presidential and the move, according to Mr Quansah, was to prevent any swelling of the constituency vote.

Those who thought it too crucial to vote for their parliamentary candidates had to move on, while others whose names were not provided in the list of those eligible to vote in the special exercise also had to be turned away.

According to the Returning Officer, instruction to restrict the parliamentary voting to voters registered in the constituency only was received from the Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan, on Monday evening.

Voters who go through the exercise successfully have about half of their index finger dipped in indelible ink.

At the Korle Klottey Constituency, Osu, the exercise had to be suspended for about two hours soon after take off following disagreements between electoral officers and security personnel over who qualified to vote in both the presidential and parliamentary elections.

The exercise closes at 5pm and the ballots would be kept in security armouries to be added to the ballots for the general election on December 7.


Story by Isaac Yeboah