Special Voting Proceeds Smoothly at Akatsi South Amid Calm Atmosphere.

Akatsi: As of 0721 hours, a total of 23 Special Voters at Akatsi South in the Volta Region have cast their ballots for their preferred Presidential and Parliamentary candidates. The exercise is designed to allow election officials, security personnel, and media practitioners to vote ahead of the December 7 general election.According to Ghana News Agency, Mr. Joseph Fleagbo, the Presiding Officer at the Akatsi Police Station where the exercise is ongoing, reported that no challenges have been encountered so far. "We registered 23 eligible voters and have been counting since the exercise started," he stated. Mrs. Akorfa Buabasa Asamoah, the Akatsi South Municipal Electoral Officer, further explained that 305 Special Voters are expected to participate in the ongoing exercise. She noted that everything was proceeding smoothly and expressed optimism that the exercise would end peacefully at exactly 1700 hours.The Ghana News Agency also observed security officers from the Police Service, Fire Service, and EC o fficials, who are scheduled to work on December 7, casting their ballots early at the center. A total of 131,478 eligible voters, representing 0.007% of the total voter population of 18.7 million, are expected to partake in the exercise across 328 centers nationwide. However, the exercise in the Western and Eastern Regions has been postponed to Thursday, December 5, 2024, due to a recall of ballots.Earlier, Mrs. Jean Mensa, the EC Chairperson, clarified that security personnel and journalists who did not apply for Special Voting would not be able to vote on December 2 but could participate in the main election on December 7. She emphasized that ballots cast during the Special Voting exercise would be tallied on December 7 at the Constituency Collation Centres and then added to the main election results. To ensure the security of the ballots, all boxes would be sealed and kept in secured rooms at police stations within each constituency.The general elections to elect a new President and 276 Members of Parl iament are scheduled for Saturday, December 7, 2024. In Akatsi South, three parliamentary candidates-Lawyer Bernard Ahiafor, the incumbent Member of Parliament, Mr. Mawuli Ocloo Egos of the New Patriotic Party, and Mr. Donald Brown Dzameshie of the Progressive Alliance for Ghana-are contesting for the parliamentary seat.