The Ashanti Region, which only days ago played host to the political party leaders in what has become known as the Kumasi peace declaration, threatens to bring chaos to the December 7 General elections if steps are not taken the alleviate tensions there. With only a few days to go until the 2012 elections, officials of the two leading political parties -the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP)- are embroiled in a serious war of words. In an effort to address the tensions, police have ordered that on Election Day, voters will have to vacate polling areas after casting their ballots. Ashanti Regional Police Commander DCOP Augustine Gyening said that it is illegal for the voters to loiter 500 meters from the polling station. The directive was one of a series of strategies that the police have announced which aim to ensure peace and tranquility during and after the election. DCOP Gyening said that the use of motorbikes will likely be banned on voting day, adding that the police will deal ruthlessly with those who foment trouble or flout police directives. But the NPP has little confidence in the police to protect ballots in Ashanti. Frederick Antoa, the party’s Ashanti Regional Chairman, told Joy News that the NPP is not impressed with the police assurances. “Once bitten, twice shy” he explained, referring to cases in which ballot boxes were snatched when the NDC was in power during the 2000 elections. The NPP chair said that no law prohibits voters from staying at a polling place after voting and insisted that NPP voters are prepared to do just that in order to exercise vigilance and protect the ballots. Antoa said that not even the regional police chief or the president will intimidate party members from voting and protecting ballots. His statements appeared to have angered NDC members in the region. Regional NDC Secretary Joseph Yameen alleged Antoa’s position to be part of a plot to cause election time chaos, adding that his party is prepared to respect the police directives so long as the NPP abides by them as well. However, he threatened that the NDC would congregate at polling stations to protect the ballots if the NPP decides to take over the police’s job. “We are two times better prepared for war than the NPP,” he asserted, adding, the “all-die-be-die” slogan does not only apply to the NPP. Meanwhile, the police are calling on the public to respect the directives.