President John Mahama: gunning for another term

Ghanaian Electoral Commission (EC)  announced on Friday that the preparations towards Ghana’s 2016 general election would commence in March.

It said in Accra that biometric verification devices would also be introduced during the Nov. 7, election instead of the normal Dec. 7 that all other elections except the 1992 presidential polls were held.

It said the re-opening of the register would make way for limited registrations and afford people attaining the age of 18 as well as Ghanaians whose names are not on the existing register to register from March 18 to 27, 2016.

EC said after the registration it would exhibit the register in June, to allow voters check for the inclusion and correct spellings of their names.

It said further that any of the candidates wishing to stand for election would file nominations from July 18 to 19, 2016.

It stressed that the transfer of votes of those wishing to vote in constituencies other than where they are registered would end in September 2016.

The EC has indicated that Ghana would conduct this year’s elections on Nov. 7, 2016, instead of the normal Dec. 7 that all other elections except the 1992 presidential polls were held.

The EC had earlier announced its decision in consultation with representatives of registered political parties to use 29,000 polling stations for the 2016 general election instead of the 30,000 previously agreed.

It said manual verification of voters would be introduced alongside biometric verification, for people whose particulars appear on the voters register but who may be rejected by the biometric verification devices.