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A UN elections expert has called on government to combine District Assembly and Unit Committee elections to the existing parliamentary and presidential general elections to make it more attractive to electorates.
According to the Executive Director at Centre for African Democratic Affairs (CADA), George Nteh, Government must restructure the existing local assembly elections to boost people’s excitement in the elections as expected by the Electoral Commission and its partners.
District level elections in Ghana have always been characterised by low voter turnout.
George Nteh who also worked with UN Human Rights Office in Nepal as Human Rights Officer was speaking Monday on Adom FM’s “Burning Issues” programme ahead of district assembly elections on September 1.
“The separation of the local level assembly’s elections from the national elections is not healthy and it’s about time we look at it as a country” he told host Afia Pokua.
The CADA boss said just like Sudan has done Ghana must also combine the local assembly elections with national elections to increase voter turnout and prop up its attractiveness.
However, Director of Public Affairs at the EC, Christian Owusu Parry, says the suggestion by George Nteh cannot be implemented.
According to Mr Parry, combing the local assembly elections with national elections in Ghana will make the election process chaotic.
He said the huge number of the local assembly and Unit Committee candidates will make it impossible for the Commission and other stakeholders to properly conduct the voting process if it is added to the national elections.
Christian Owusu Parry appealed to Ghanaians to participate in the elections because the Assembly and Unit Committee members represent the people on the ground.
The EC says all is set for District Assembly and Unit Committee elections slated for Tuesday.
According to the EC election materials have been transported to the various district assemblies for the polls.
A total of 18,938 candidates are contesting for the District Assembly, 17,785 are male and 1,102 female.
Also 43,584 candidates will be contesting for the Unit Committee Elections. Only one third of these candidates are female.
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