By Nelson Ayivor
Aflao (V/R), Sep. 12, GNA – The Electoral Commission’s limited voter registration exercise currently ongoing national wide, recorded a high turnout in the Ketu South Municipality on the first day of the exercise.
A visit by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) to the EC’s premises saw scores of people in long queues going through the process, while others sat on long wooden benches awaiting their turn to be registered.
There were representatives of political parties and other interest groups monitoring the conduct of the exercise, while security officials were also present to maintain law and order.
The exercise which commenced at 0900 hours, was nearly marred by a downpour which lasted about two hours but progressed steadily soon after the rains subsided.
Mr Bruno Ahiatsi, an official of the EC told the GNA, that but for the rains, the exercise was going on smoothly without any hitches.
He said the EC officials on duty ensured that all persons who turned up to register, met all the requirements for registration, which included the attainment of the legal age of 18, the Ghana Card or Passport and a Guarantor where necessary.
Mr Bruno said the only challenge being faced on the first day of the exercise was with the Guarantor system where some guarantors were having difficulty producing their digital addresses to enable registration officers fill the Guarantor forms and urged all guarantors to ensure that they carried their digital addresses along while turning up to guarantee for others in the coming days.
Mr Wisdom Agbemenya, one of the first people to successfully go through the exercise, praised the ease of the process and urged others to avail themselves to be registered to be able to participate in the 2024 general elections.
Mr Agbemenya, however, expressed some reservations about the exercise being held at a central point which was the EC’s premises saying “some of us had to abandon our daily activities and travel several kilometers to the registration centre which comes at a cost to us.”
He appealed to the EC to reconsider going back to the previous arrangement where the registration was done in all electoral areas in subsequent exercises.
The exercise is scheduled to last for 21 days.
GNA