Local elections postponed in several districts

Ghanaians voted in local government elections on Tuesday, but the polls were postponed in some areas, including six districts in the Northern Region where a state of emergency was imposed following the murder of a traditional ruler on 27 March. The elections were also rescheduled in the Eastern Region and some districts in the Western and Central regions, and Greater Accra. The chairman of Ghana's electoral commission, Kwawdo Afari-Gyan, was quoted by media organisations as saying that the printing of ballot papers for several districts had been delayed. Affected districts, he said, would vote on 13 August. The elections had initially been postponed for a week throughout the country because many candidates had failed to submit their photographs for printing on ballot papers, PANA reported. In the districts where polling took place, it was marked by a low turnout, officials told IRIN. Vice President Aliu Mahama was quoted by the government-owned Ghana News Agency as saying he was not impressed by the voter turnout at polling stations he visited in the capital, Accra. Most of those he visited had recorded a turnout of 10 percent as at 11.40 am, GNA said.