The Electoral Commission (EC) has destroyed all defective presidential and parliamentary ballot papers printed for the Volta and Ahafo Regions.

The destruction took place on Thursday, November 21, under the supervision of political parties, independent observers, the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), and the Police Service.

The move follows the EC's announcement, through its Deputy Chair of Operations, Samuel Tettey, that incorrect serial numbers had been identified on the ballot papers for these regions, necessitating their reprinting.

• Read also: EC to reprint ballot papers for Ahafo, Volta regions over incorrect serial numbers

Earlier, on Sunday, November 16, the EC successfully burned the scrap, excesses, and plates used to print the defective ballot papers.

Speaking to the media, the Deputy Director of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation at the EC, Fred Tetteh, emphasised that the destruction was necessary to preserve the integrity of the electoral process.

“We came here for a purpose, an exercise that we made you aware of. And at this point, you can testify to the fact that the ballot papers that the Commission discarded based on defects have been destroyed," he said.

He reassured the public that only properly printed ballot papers would be used for the December elections, with some already dispatched to the regions.

“The Electoral Commission is going to use the ballot papers that are going to be printed, which have been printed, some have been sent to the regions - that’s what we are going to use for the December elections,” Mr Tetteh added.

Mr Tettey clarified that the exercise was not intended to favour or disadvantage any political party, noting that representatives from political parties were present to oversee the process.

“I must say that what we've done here was not meant to give advantage or disadvantage to any political party. You were all witnesses to what we did just now," he stated.

In total, 184 bags containing defective presidential ballot papers and 66 containing parliamentary ballot papers for the Volta Region were destroyed.

For the Ahafo Region, 67 bags of presidential ballots and 21 bags of parliamentary ballots were incinerated.

Representatives from the political parties and other observers confirmed the figures and the thoroughness of the process. The parties also signed a certificate of destruction, with copies provided to each party.

With this exercise, the EC aims to reaffirm its commitment to transparency, fairness, and the integrity of the December elections.