By Bernice Bessey
Ghanaians will go to polls today to decide which candidates are fit to represent their interests at the district level.
Though this form of election has less patronage from the citizenry, the Local Government Ministry and National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) have encouraged members of the general public to give it the necessary prominence.
As the local level elections is a Constitutional requirement that offer the citizens the opportunity to participate in affairs that affect their lives, it seeks to bring governance closer to the ordinary citizens, a conscious effort meant to bring decision-making power to the local level.
Today’s election has a total of 18,885 candidates, made up of 1,102 females and 17,783 males. There are also 43,585 candidates contesting the Unit Committees Elections, comprising 12,000 female candidates and 31,585 males.
On the number of polling stations to be used for the 2016 general elections, the Chairperson disclosed that the number of polling stations would be increased from the current 26,002 to 30,000, which has been accepted by all the political parties.
The elections are expected to start 7:00am and end at 5:00pm, after which the ballots would be counted for the winners to be declared.
Mrs. Charlotte Osei, Chairperson of Electoral Commission (EC), said in a meeting with the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) last week that the commission was prepared for the elections.
She said ballot papers had already been printed and were being dispatched to the regions. Many people don’t have an interest in local level elections, because some the assembly members don’t know the functions.
Why Low Patronage Of Elections
Investigations by the Accra File indicate that some of the people do not know the roles of the assembly members, with respect to the development of their communities.
Also, campaign messages by some of the aspirants show they don’t know the work of the assembly members. This is a message by an aspirant at North Kaneshie (suburb of Accra): “I will provide you public toilets, streetlights, construct your roads etc.”
However, the functions of the assembly member are to represent the view of his/her electorates during meetings, and explain government policies for a better understanding to the ordinary Ghanaian in a participatory democracy.
Additionally, A person is not qualified to elected or appointed if that person is of unsound mind, has been sentenced to death or imprisonment for an offence involving fraud, dishonesty or violence, and is disqualified from practicing his profession on grounds of malpractices, fraud or dishonesty by a professional body.
In related development, the Foundation for Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA) has appealed to the electorate to vote for aspiring women.
According to Nachim Cephas Yaw-ka, Policy & Advocacy Officer of FOSDA, the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) demands that at least 30% of women are represented on decision-making positions, Article 35(6)(b) mandates that appropriate measures should be taken to “achieve reasonable regional and gender balance in recruitment and appointment to public office.”
The Foundation for Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA) believes that women play a crucial role in the decision-making process at all levels, including the assembly, and should therefore be given the opportunity to serve in their respective assemblies.
The reasons, for which females should be voted for, include, but are not limited to the following: To exercise their basic right as provided for in the 1992 Constitution; be a part of decision making and have a say in how the country is being run; influence the decisions taken at the local level and provide gender perspectives, since males do not automatically represent women’s interests.
FOSDA, therefore, wishes to appeal to all the electorate to vote for females on today when they go to the polls to cast their votes.
Policy and decision-making affect both males and females, unfortunately, despite the fact that the 2010 Population and Housing Census provides the fact that females constitute 51.2%, representing 12, 633,978, and males 48.8%, representing 12,024,845, women’s voice and representation in decision-making is still unacceptably low.
In the 2010 District Assembly Elections, 412 females and 5,691 males were elected to serve in 170 Metropolitan Municipal District Assemblies (MMDAs).
Similarly, out of the 18,885 contesting this year’s elections, only 1,102, representing 5.84%, are females, and 17,783 males, representing 94.16%.
There are also a total of 43,585 candidates contesting the Unit Committees Elections, comprising 12,000 representing 27.53% female candidates, and 31,585 male representing 72.47%. The marginalisation of females is further deepened election after election over the years.
For our democracy to succeed, it should emanate from bottom (local) up (national), and women are a critical cohort of the population that cannot be overlooked. “We are, therefore, calling on all and sundry, who qualify to vote, to cast their votes for female contests to serve in the 216 MMDAs,” he said.