The special voting exercise being held at the St. Anthony of Pedua Roman Catholic Church polling centre in the Kwesimintsim constituency in the Western Region started without any issue at exactly 7 am on Tuesday, December 1, 2020.
As of 6:55 am, electoral officials had completed setting up the centre and the expected 413 voters started casting their vote at 7 am prompt without any issues.
Charles Kumodze who is the presiding officer of the constituency, speaking to Citi News at 8:30 am said 102 voters had cast their votes out of the expected 413 special voters.
“The voting started exactly 7:00 am and all personal protective kits are available and as of now, 102 have voted. Our voter register is 413, and so we are expecting the rest to come. So far, the verification device too is working well. Some three persons came here but upon looking at their ID card, we realized they belong to Effia constituency, so we asked them to go to the coalition centre at Christ the King Parish Hall at Effiakuma. For now, everything is going on well as nothing bad has happened. We are praying that it should go on like that and at the end, everything will be successful”, he said.
A nurse, Yvonne Nyamekye Krampah who voted around 8:30 spoke Citi News on her experience with the exercise.
“I found the process to be cool and all the protocols are being observed. I just came and I’m done, and I am going to work. I think it is a relief for me.”, she said.
The Kwesimintsim seat is being contested by candidates representing the NPP, NDC and PPP.
The NDC parliamentary candidates for the Kwesimintsim constituency, Fiifi Buckman, who came to the centre to witness how the exercise is being conducted told Citi News it has been satisfactory so far.
“This morning I came to monitor the process. In fact, I have seen that all the COVID-19 protocols are observed and several people have been able to cast their vote. Those who have come have conducted themselves in a manner which shows that we are a disciplined society. I will want to edge all of us as good citizens of this nation to ensure that we do our best in ensuring that we come out massively to vote. To my supporters, I will call upon them within the Kwesimintsim constituency that as we have agreed that this time is for visionary and transformational leadership, it is not for party colours, it is for who is bringing jobs to the youth, who is bringing development to the people. So I would humbly call upon all my supporters, let us be discipline on 7th December as well to ensure that peace continues to reign in Ghana.” he said.
In all 5,388 voters are expected to participate in this special voting exercise across the 17 constituencies of the Western Region.
The Western Regional Electoral Commission Director, who was also at Kwesimintsim centre to monitor the exercise told Citi News it has been peaceful.
“So far so good. Things are going on smoothly at all the centres. We are closing at 5:00 pm, and we are not going to count the ballots today. We will keep them at the police armoury at the various districts but the counting will be done on the 7th of December“ she said.