Parties Interpret Their Positions On Ballot Paper

Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who picked the number one position for President John Dramani Mahama on Friday, said the top spot on the ballot paper would make party�s voter education easier. �This is a good omen for us as the first position also falls in line with our �One touch victory slogan,� for Election 2012,� Mr Asiedu Nketia told the Ghana News Agency in Accra after leading some party executives to participate in the balloting at the Electoral Commission. Mr. Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, the National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), described the third position for the party�s Presidential Candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo said: �Three is a good number for the NPP.� �With number three, we are sure to win. The NPP picked number one position in 2008 and we lost the elections and the late President John Evans Atta Mills picked number three and won�. Justifying the number seven position he picked for the presidential candidate of the Convention Peoples� Party (CPP), Dr Michael Abu Sakara Foster, Mr. Donkor Ayita, said: �Number seven has all the powers that God invested on earth and it also represent the number of perfection�. Mr Bernard Mornah, General Secretary of the Peoples National Convention who represented the party and picked the sixth position for Mr Hassan Ayariga, the party�s presidential candidate, down played the significance of position on the ballot paper. He said: �simple positions on the ballot paper does not win vote, but rather intensive voter education is key and the trick to winning elections and will not attach any spiritual meaning to the number six.� Mr. Kwadwo Sarfo-Kantanka, EC Deputy Chairman in Charge of Operations, said the pictures of the presidential candidates would appear on the ballot paper in accordance with the position they occupy. He said a later date would be organized for parliamentary candidates of the six political parties whose flag bearers� nomination papers were rejected ballot for positions. At the end of balloting supervised by Mr Sarfo-Kantanka, the NDC�s presidential candidate picked the top spot on the ballot paper and second spot was picked by Dr Henry Lartey of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP). Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the NPP picked the third position, Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom of the Progressive Peoples� Party (PPP) the fourth position and the United Front Party�s (UFP) Mr Akwasi Adddai Odike, the fifth position. The rest are Mr Hassan Ayariga of the Peoples National Convention (PNC) sixth and the Dr Michael Abu Sakara Foster of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) seven. According to the Electoral rules the Independent Presidential Candidate Mr Jacob Osei Yebaoh will be the eighth on the Presidential ballot. The positions will be the same for parliamentary candidates, with independent candidates coming after candidates of the political parties in alphabetical order. The order for that balloting was determined by the order in which the presidential candidates filed their papers at the EC last Wednesday and Thursday. In Election 2008, the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo picked the top spot on the ballot paper whilst the second was picked by Dr Edward Nasigrie Mahama of the People's National Convention, while Professor John Evans Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) occupied the third on the ballot paper. Mr Emmanuel Ansah Antwi of the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) fourth, Mr Thomas Ward-Brew of the Democratic People's Party fifth, and Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom then with the Convention People's Party sixth, Mr Kwamena Adjei of the Reformed Patriotic Democrats seventh, while Mr Kwesi Amoafo-Yeboah, an independent candidate was eighth.