The Member of Parliament for Ayawaso Central, Henry Quartey, has urged voters to avoid supporting political parties that lack clear and actionable messages.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 2024 Special Voting Exercise on Monday, December 2, Quartey emphasized the importance of electing a government with a comprehensive plan to address the nation’s challenges.
He criticized the perceived lack of substantive policies from opposition parties, contrasting them with the proposals of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Quartey highlighted the NPP flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s, policy agenda for the 2024 general election as one designed to improve the livelihoods of Ghanaians.
“We are making a special appeal to Ghanaians to vote for the NPP government. In their campaign, they haven’t told Ghanaians that today, kenkey is GH¢6 and so when they come, the same will be GH¢1. In their campaign, they haven’t told Ghanaians that when they come, the price of fuel will be half of what it sells now. In their campaign, they haven’t told Ghanaians that when they come, they will triple the salaries of workers.
“Also, in their campaign, they haven’t told Ghanaians that yes, a dollar is sixteen cedis. Are they going to make it GH¢6 when they come? Certainly not. So, what is the message? We have a message. The flagbearer is clear and says: Bold Solutions. He has outlined a number of manifesto policies that when Ghanaians vote for NPP, these are the areas we are going to go to.
“Teachers and nurses will be given exemptions; duty-free. There will be a flat tax, there will be no duty on the import of mobile phones, among others. So, this is a campaign that is loaded with messages. We don’t have an alternative. So, voting for a party that has no message is dangerous for this country. And I think that the youth should think about their future,” he stated.
The Special Voting, currently ongoing at selected polling stations in 14 out of the 16 regions in Ghana, is to cater for individuals who will play crucial roles on election day and is designed to allow them to cast their votes early and ensure their availability for election duties.
The Special Voting primarily targets electoral officials, security personnel, and media representatives who will be actively involved in the general election process.
The Electoral Commission (EC) confirmed that approximately 131,478 individuals, representing 0.007% of the total registered electorate of 18,741,159, are expected to participate in this critical exercise today, December 2.