The Member of Parliament (MP) for Atiwa in the Eastern region, Kwasi Amoako-Atta has advised the Electoral Commission (EC) to embark on effective education in rural constituencies to ensure that all eligible voters avail themselves to register to enable them exercise their constitutional right of voting during the December 7 general elections.
The MP for Atiwa gave the advice when he visited the Atiwa district office of the EC at Akyem Kwabeng on Monday to find out preparations by the district office of the EC to ensure a successful biometric registration in the Atiwa constituency which starts on March 24.
He said the biometric registration is a new process and therefore the EC must ensure that the exercise does not record any lapses.
�As an MP, I am particularly concerned about how all eligible voters would be covered and the fact that the registration is expected to be done in clusters.
�For me I would not tolerate any excuse for shortage of materials and therefore the EC must ensure that all the materials arrive on time and officials properly monitored to do the right thing,� he said.
He said as the MP for the area, he would be monitoring the exercise with a �parliamentary eye� and entreated politicians from other political parties to cooperate with officials of the EC to ensure an incident-free biometric exercise.
According to him, he would also do his best to educate his constituents on the need to come out in their numbers to register and abide by the rules at the registration centres.
�The general elections begin with registration and as such all politicians and democrats must show interest in it so that if there is any problem we can bring out to the notice of the EC,� the Atiwa MP said.
He also warned people who do not reside or hail from the constituency not to make any attempt to register in the constituency.
The District Electoral Officer, Victoria Yakubu commended the MP for showing keen interest in the forthcoming registration exercise, saying the MP had demonstrated that he wants the best for his constituency.
She took time to explain the biometric process to the MP, saying the registration will be done in clusters.
�We have 117 polling stations in the Atiwa constituency and these would be grouped into 30 clusters where each cluster will consist of four polling stations,� she said, adding that one registration kit, made up of a camera, scanning machine and computer, will be stationed in a cluster to take care of four polling stations.
Ms Yakubu said her outfit will use churches, mosques, markets, schools and community announcers to educate the populace about the registration exercise.
�We want to assure the MP that everything has been put in place for a successful registration,� the district electoral officer said.
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