Cape Coast-Ghana, Dec. 13, GNA – Teachers, artisans, and farmers make up 90 per cent of the 6,074 candidates who have filed to contest the District Level Election (DLE) in the Central Region.
The election, slated for Tuesday, December 19, in accordance with the District Level Elections Regulations 2015 (CI89), followed the expiration of the term of the Assembly and Unit Committee Members on Sunday, December 17.
Other professions and occupation include nurses, statisticians, accounts officers, administrators, business owners, traders, students, lotto agents’, barbers, fishermen and the unemployed.
Similarly, holders of Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), Secondary School Certificate Examination and the West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE/WASSCE) are about 80 per cent of the qualification categories of candidates.
Apart from seven candidates being master’s degree holders in public administration, Accountancy and Auditing, the rest have Middle School Leaving Certificate (MSLC), National Vocational and Technical Institute (NVTI) Certificates and a few Diplomas and Degrees.
At the same time, farming, fishing and artisanal businesses seem to dominate in rural areas and fishing communities, but teaching, administrative works, driving were prominent in urban and per urban communities.
Mr Manu Sakyi, the Deputy Regional Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), said of the 6,074 candidates, 1,634 candidates are contesting the District Assembly Election (DAE) whilst 4,440 were vying for the Unit Committees slots.
There are 3,413 polling centres and 572 electoral areas, Mr Sakyi told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Cape Coast.
The Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam (AEE) has 47 electoral areas being the largest with 165 polling centres followed by Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA), 37 electoral areas with 192 polling centres and Gomoa East having 12 electoral areas and 20 polling centres being the lowest.
For the number of contestants for DAE, Cape Coast Metro recorded the highest number of candidates of 135, followed by KEEA, 126, AEE, 115 whilst the Upper Denkyira West and Assin Fosu had 41 and 31 respectively as the least.
The AEE registered 362 as the highest number of candidates for Unit Committee Election, followed by Agona West, 300 and Gomoa Central recording the least.
Comparatively, the Region has seen a dip in the total number of polling centres from 3,417 in 2020 to 3,413 in 2023, a reason Mr Sakyi blamed on population dynamics.
The Heman Lower Denkyira, Assin North, Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, Agona East, Awutu Senya West, and Ekumfi Districts recorded no difference in total number of polling centres.
But then, many others, including Twifo Atti-Morkwa, AEE, Assin Fosu, Assin South, Upper Denkyira East, Awutu Senya East and Gomoa Central recorded marginal increases.
Mr Sakyi said the EC was fine-tuning its preparations’ logistics for free, fair and transparent elections that would take place between 0700 hours and 1700 hours with the entire process taking place in the open view of the public.
The non-partisan election would have each polling station having two ballot boxes, one each for District Assembly and Unit Committee, and seals for each ballot box.
Polling stations would also have indelible ink to mark a voter’s thumb and thumbprint pads, and the agents of candidates would be allowed at polling stations to observe proceedings.
Presiding Officers in charge of polling stations would inspect the ballot papers in the presence of the agents, enter the total number, show the ballot boxes to the public to ascertain that it is empty and places them in the open for voting.
Mr Sakyi said every voter in the queue at the polling station at the close of the exercise at 1700 hours would be allowed to vote and counting of ballots cast would start thereafter.
