The Electoral Commission (EC) has rescheduled the district-level elections in select electoral areas in the Ashanti and Eastern Regions, citing technical challenges with the printing of ballots by the EC’s contractors.
As reported by JoyNews in the Ashanti region, districts such as Bantama, South Sontreso, Atwima Nwabiagya, Atwima Mponua, Dadeso, and Santasi will not participate in the current exercise due to delays in the delivery of voting materials by the Electoral Commission.
In a statement signed by the Acting Head of Public Relations for the EC, Michael Boadu, the affected areas are now scheduled to partake in the elections on Thursday, December 21, 2023.
The overall exercise was anticipated to cover 6,215 electoral areas across 216 metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies, excluding the Nkoranza North and South in the Bono East Region.
With over 66,000 individuals competing for District Assembly and Unit Committee positions in the District Level Elections, the EC’s data reveals 18,755 assembly member candidates and 47,502 unit committee member candidates, totaling 66,257 candidates.
Among the assembly candidates, 17,474 are males (94%), while females are 1,106 (6%). For unit committee candidates, 40,923 are males (88%), and females are 5,413 (11.6%).
Despite the increased number of candidates compared to previous years, voter enthusiasm remains low, consistent with the historical trend of voter apathy in the District Level Elections since its inception in 1988. Data shows varying voter turnout percentages over the years, with a notable decline in participation in some periods.
Furthermore, the participation of women in these elections has been consistently low, presenting a challenge to achieving balanced representation.