‘So far so good’ — Koku Anyidoho commends EC as voting gets underway
An election observer, Koku Anyidoho, has commended the Electoral Commission for what he described as a strong performance in the conduct of the Ayawaso East parliamentary by-election, expressing satisfaction with preparations and early voting arrangements.
Speaking from a polling station in the constituency on Tuesday, March 3, Anyidoho said the Election Management Body had met key operational benchmarks, including the timely deployment of materials and personnel.
“I’m happy,” he said. “The EC, on top of its job — when I got here, the material, the personnel already deployed, they are set up in good time.”
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The by-election was necessitated by the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Naser Toure Mahama, who passed away in January at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
Anyidoho, who entered the constituency shortly before 6 am, noted the visible security deployment as he arrived. “I began to notice the heavy police and security presence immediately I was driving into the constituency, which is good,” he said.
He added that voting commenced within an acceptable timeframe. “I saw that voting started just after 7am. Couldn’t be more than five minutes past seven. So just after so it’s still within acceptable time.”
The observer also highlighted what he described as adherence to international standards in the arrangement of polling stations, particularly the positioning of voting booths to guarantee secrecy and the placement of ballot boxes in open view. “I think that these basic things are standing tall as far as the EMB is concerned,” he said.
Anyidoho further stressed the importance of proper accreditation, noting that access to polling and collation centres was not automatic. “So, that means the EC has done its work well in terms of being properly accredited. So it’s not because you’re Koku Anyidoho, so you can walk into the constituency, if you want to go and put out the proper work, be properly accredited.”
He welcomed the strong media presence at the polling centre, describing it as essential for transparency. “And I love, I like the heavy media presence also. So it means that you have your eyes and ears, yeah, to the ground.”
A total of 49,966 registered voters are expected to cast ballots across 113 polling stations. Voting is scheduled to run from 7 am to 5 pm, with significant police deployment reported across the constituency to ensure a peaceful process.
