The Chairperson of Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs. Jean Mensa has disclosed that Commission is 95% ready for December 7 polls and that all relevant election materials have been purchased.
“Mr. Speaker the Commission procured a wide variety of election materials for the 2020 Election. These include, ballot boxes, thumbprint pads, stationary, identifications jackets, polling station booths, rechargeable lamps, indelible ink, educational posters, seals among others,” she said.
Mrs Mensah gave the assurance on Saturday when she was briefing parliament on the roadmap to the election.
“I can confirm that as a result of the thorough planning and distribution mechanisms employed, we are about 95% done with the distribution of election materials to our various locations across the country. What is left to be delivered are the Ballots and Registers,” she said.
Mrs. Mensa added that to facilitate the movement of EC staff and promote the delivery of their mandate at the grassroot level, the Commission has also procured 147 vehicles made up of 15 motorbikes, 30 four-wheel drives, 107 pick-ups, 8 haulage trucks and 2 Coaster Buses.
“These were procured at a total cost of 38 million 373 thousand 545 cedis (38,373,545.00). This has promoted the efficiency of our staff as well as the swift movement of goods and materials from our stores to our regions and districts. It has also helped to eliminate costs that were associated with the hiring and rental of vehicles,” she said.
Mrs. Mensa noted that 95% of the procurement was done through an open tender process, saying that in due course, the Commission will make public a report showing the huge savings made as a result of this decision.
To stop the spread of COVID-19, Mrs Mensa said the EC had put in place stringent COVID-19 protocols including the procurement and distribution of items including thermometer guns,Veronica Buckets, sanitizers, liquid soap and tissue paper to all regions.
“We have distributed all these items to our regions and districts ahead of the election and we are confident that the protocols put in place and the materials procured will help curb the spread of the virus at all Polling Stations and Collation Centers throughout the country,” she said.
Meanwhile, she said from Monday, the Commission will roll out an extensive publicity drive aimed at educating the citizenry on how to vote and encouraging them to exercise their power.
“We will also engage citizens on measures the Commission is putting in place to reduce/eliminate stakeholder risks at the various Polling Stations throughout the country. As you may be aware, the Commission undertook a comprehensive publicity campaign during the Registration Exercise. This contributed to the enthusiasm and high participation during the registration exercise,” She stated.
Mrs. Mensa added, “We are confident that the education we deploy, ahead of the election, in major languages throughout the country will go a long way to shore up interest and lead to a high turnout on election day.”
The EC Chair further revealed that special officials named the COVID-19 Ambassadors will be deployed to all thirty-eight thousand, six hundred and twenty-two (38,622) Polling Stations throughout the country to enforce the Covid-19 protocols and ensure that the sufficient supply of COVID items to the Centers are put to effective use.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Porcia Oforiwaa