There was low turnout as the Abetifi Constituency bye-election in the Kwahu East District of the Eastern Region.
There are no queues at the polling stations as often seen during the first hours of elections in the area.
About 43,773 registered voters are expected to vote in 117 polling stations but as at 9:00 am only a total of 701 eligible voters have cast their votes in 20 polling stations visited in five communities by the Ghana News Agency.
According to the District Electoral Officer, Madam Stella Sarpong, materials have been dispatched to all the polling stations and so far have not encountered any challenge.
She said four candidates are contesting the elections. They are: Madam Vida Konadu Ennin for the Independent Peoples Party (IPP), Mr Kenneth Nikoi Quottey for the United Front Party (UFP), Mr Bryan Acheapong for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Professor Edmund Ofori Nkansah for the Convention Peoples Party (CPP).
At Pepease Cultural Centre Polling Station, five persons were detected to have involved themselves in multiple registration and their names were deleted from the register.
At Abetifi Community Electoral Centre, the validated machine had broken down and was replaced by Electoral Commission.
At most of the polling centres, only the NPP and CPP agents were present, however, there were police personnel at all the polling stations visited.
The bye-election was necessitated by the death of the former Member of Parliament for the area, Peter Wiafe Peprah.
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