Some political figures have in the past criticised the EC, accusing it of not working in the interest of the political party of the government in power, a claim it has always rejected.

A commissioner of the EC, Dr Eric Bossman Asare, who gave the assurance, did not say whether the commission is seen as working for a particular political party.

“We want to have an institution that is highly credible, where it does not matter the political party you belong to or any side of the country that you come from, you know it is an institution that can be trusted.”
“The new leadership is working hard, putting measures in place towards building good image for the commission, ensuring its offices are friendly to have the citizenry walk in for enquiries and to get registered.”

“We want to get to a point where the citizenry can walk in and say I turned 18, and I am here to register, it should be simple, the new leadership will ensure the EC offers value for money by ensuring budget for the commission is expended prudently,” Dr Asare stressed.

Commenting on preparations towards the upcoming referendum on the creation of new regions, he indicated that “everything is ready for the vote to be taken on December 27, 2018, personnel to oversee the referendum have been trained and equipped for the task ahead, and voter education is ongoing to get eligible voters acquainted with dynamics of the referendum.

“We have started rolling television commercials and radio jingles, we have men in the villages educating residents about the process,” Dr Asare said.

The creation of some six new regions became necessary after some chiefs petitioned the president for new regions to be created.

A commission of inquiry was subsequently established by the President to look into the matter, and after its nationwide consultation, recommended to the government for six more new regions to be created.

The EC was consequently given the greenlight to conduct a referendum in the new regions.

The new regions to be created are Ahafo, Bono East, Savannah, North East, Oti and Western North.