The Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) for the Juaboso District, Stephen Tikoli, has said that the low turnout in district-level elections stems from the declining performance in decentralisation.
Speaking on Adom News, Mr Tikoli stated that, both the Assembly and Unit Committee members face resource shortages caused by the Assemblies.
According to him, this lack of support hampers their ability to effectively operate within their areas, leading residents to hold them accountable for perceived inaction.
“This means there is something wrong with the governance system with regard to the decentralisation process. What the assembly members are supposed to work with to aid development in the various electoral areas are non-existent.
“An assemblyman will make a lot of promises during a campaign but he will come and you see something different. It makes the person lose his commitment and the desire to do what is expected of him,” he bemoaned.
The district-level elections have been recording low turnout over the years. Many of the voters fail to exercise their franchise in the election of assembly and unit committee members.
Also speaking on Adom News, some voters said that the elected representatives have not visibly championed development in their communities.
They also highlighted the low publicity on the elections as another reason for their limited involvement.
“We don’t see the impact of the Assemblymen in our community. When we even call them, they don’t show up, they just want the title to be part of their name. So, there’s no need voting for them, because they don’t add value to our community. So, when is time to vote, you don’t have any interest to go and vote,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the Juaboso District Electoral Commission Officer, Fatima Kantom said they are well-prepared for the exercise ahead.
“This is my first time partaking in the Assembly election in this community, and I was impressed with the level of enthusiasm shown by the people of Juaboso. I’m very disappointed that in the whole 16 electoral areas, it was only one woman who came to pick a form,” he said.
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