District Assembly polls...Women participation in assembly polls all time low in Eastern Region
Women participation in the district assembly and unit committee elections in the Eastern Region is low.
Advertisement
Out of the 2,480 people contesting the district assembly elections in the Eastern Region, only 157, representing six per cent, are women.
Similarly, only 425, representing 10 per cent out of the 4,344 people vying for the unit committee positions, are women.
The Eastern Regional Deputy Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mr Gabriel Dei, who made this known to the Daily Graphic in an interview, observed that the participation of women in the two elections was at an all time low this year.
According to him, women participation had always been low, but it was the worst this year.
He attributed cultural inhibitions, financial challenges, family life and domestic demands on women as some of the reasons women showed low interest in politics.
Electoral areas
The Eastern Region has 850 electoral areas but voting, according to Mr Dei, would take place in 716 electoral areas.
Mr Dei said elections in 31 electoral areas in Lower Manya Krobo would not be held, explaining that it was only in 2013 that the district assembly and unit committee elections were held for that area.
Other Trending Stories
Consequently, the tenure of assembly men and unit committee members in that part of the Eastern Region had not expired.
Again, no one registered to contest the elections in 23 electoral areas, Mr Dei stated.
Preparation
Series of training programmes, according to Mr Dei, had been organised for returning officers and their deputies.
The officers, 25 returning officers and 50 deputy returning officers, were taken through three days each in elections procedure and how to handle the biometric verification system.
Mr Dei said the region was prepared to hold the elections scheduled to come off on March 3, this year.