Assemblies to be inaugurated on March 15

PRESIDENT John Evans Atta Mills will inaugurate 169 metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies on March 15, 2011.
Out of the 170 district, only the Lower Manya Krobo district will not be inaugurated because of a legal suit pending before the Supreme Court.
Announcing the date for the launching of the newly elected assembly membership,the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, said the inauguration was expected to put to rest the ongoing discussions about how soon municipal, metropolitan and district assemblies would be inaugurated.
He hinted that measures were in place to amicable and expeditiously deal with the remaining issues.
Apart from the Lower Manya Krobo district, which would be not be inaugurated, other issues being dealt with were 53 electoral areas which did not have their elections conducted.
The minister explained that the 53, which is out of the 6,160 electoral areas, were having problems including unresolved issues such boundary demarcations and non filing of nominations.
According to the minister, to ensure a successful inauguration, he had urged the Electoral Commission (EC) to take appropriate steps to address all petitions and other related matters following the last elections.
He explained that the inauguration would take the form of durbars in all district capitals interlaced with photo exhibition to showcase and highlights the overall prospects and investments opportunities, as well as major achievements of the various municipal, metropolitan and district assemblies.
He disclosed that President Mills had constituted a search party to recommend qualified and suitable persons to replace the 13 district chief executives whose appointments were revoked a couple of weeks ago.
Mr Ofosu-Ampofo urged assembly members to co-operate with one another during the nomination and confirmation of presiding members after the inauguration of assemblies to ensure the smooth operations of the districts.
Regarding the President’s request for the selection of least 40 per cent women as members of the government appointees to the assemblies, Mr Ofosu-Ampofo noted that documentation the ministry had received on the nomination indicated that the various assembles had “religiously adhered to” the directive.
He explained that the President’s demand for 40 per cent appointment for women was based on the belief that the assemblies were the fertile ground for women to prepare adequately to launch into the male-dominated political scene.
Available information on some of the issues that affected the district elections indicated that the people the Tumentu Electoral Area in the Nzema East District prevented EC officials from conducting the elections in protest against the lack of economic development projects in the area.
The Chiefs and people of Lower Manya Krobo did not vote in the elections in protest against the transfer of six electoral areas from their district to Dangme West. A court case on the election dispute involving two polling stations in Nyinahin-Abodowin Electoral Area in the Atwimma Mponua District prevented elections in that area.
In the Volta Region, the chiefs and people of the Biakoye District and some parts of the Adidome District boycotted the elections due to problems with the location of district capital and boundary demarcation respectively, while the people of the Akurugu-Daboo electoral area in the Kassena-Nankana District boycotted the elections because they wanted to retain the old name of Atosale/Azaase.