[ 2012-06-15 ]

Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, Chairman of the EC

EC to create new constituencies
The Electoral Commission (EC) is in the process of
reviewing the country’s constituencies to create
new ones, following the recent release of the
final figures of the 2010 population census.

Speculation had been rife since last year that the
EC would create new constituencies following the
government’s announcement of the creation of 42
new districts.

But the EC had insisted that the creation of new
constituencies for the December 2012 would not be
automatic.

There have also been concerns, particularly from
the New Patriotic Party (NPP), over the essence of
creating new constituencies in a period very close
to the 2012 general election.

However, speaking at a forum organised by the
Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in Accra
Thursday, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, Chairman of the
EC, stated that the creation of new constituencies
was a constitutional responsibility of the EC,
especially when new census figures had been
released.

The forum, on the theme, “Using the Media to
Enhance the Transparency and Credibility of the
2012 Elections“, sought to provide a platform for
the EC to inform the public about its strategies
and programmes towards the attainment of free,
fair and peaceful elections in December.

The forum was the second in the series that the
GJA had held with three principal state
institutions concerning their election-related
mandates and preparations towards the 2012 general
election.

Article 47(5) of the 1992 Constitution mandates
the EC to “review the division of Ghana into
constituencies at intervals of not less than seven
years, or within 12 months after the publication
of the enumeration figures after holding of a
census of the population of Ghana, whichever is
earlier, as may, as a result, alter
constituencies”.

The EC, in 2004, increased the number of
constituencies from 200 to the current 230.

According to the EC, it might create 45 more
constituencies to make the current figure
proportional to the newly created districts.

The EC boss, who spoke on the topic, “The EC’s
strategies for addressing key challenges of the
2012 Elections”, said unlike during the biometric
voters registration exercise when one registration
kit serviced four polling stations, on election
day each polling station would have its own
verification machine.

He, however, said in the event of the failure of a
verification machine to function, the alternate
procedure to be used in identifying the voter
would be determined in consultation with the
political parties.

Dr Afari-Gyan said based on experiences from the
biometric registration, the EC was keenly mindful
that training some 23,000 officials to handle the
verification machine properly posed a real
challenge but was optimistic that the it would
ensure hands-on training for those who would
operate the machines.

He bemoaned the increasing monetisation of the
electoral process in Ghana and observed that,
among other things, the development had the
tendency to create a situation where, with money,
politicians could buy not only the votes of the
poor but also unprincipled election officials to
corrupt electoral outcomes.

Source - Daily Graphic

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