The end is here. At midnight today 5th December 2012, campaigning for #Ghana elections 2012 will be over and with just hours to the December 7th 2012 polls, election excitement is all over the country and the Ghanaian media is adequately reflecting this mood by devoting most of their pages to election stories.

Stories about early voting were carried by most of the newspapers according to the Daily Graphic 2012 Polls begin – with special voting, but a few hiccups. The special voting for security personnel and staff of the Electoral Commission (EC) who will be on duty on election day December 7 was conducted smoothly throughout the country yesterday; although, some of the voters had to move from one polling station to another, looking for their names in the register before they could vote. The paper similarly reports that EC unperturbed by early voting problems. In spite of the challenges which characterized the special voting yesterday, the EC says it is ready to supervise the conduct of the elections on Friday, December 7th. According to the EC, all materials needed to ensure peaceful polls would reach the 26,002 polling stations before Friday.

Again from the Daily Graphic, the 3,000 eligible voters in the Kassena Nankena East District in the Upper East Region whose biometric registration by the Electoral Commission (EC) ended yesterday cannot vote in the general elections on Friday, December 7th. With the headline Fate of 3,000 voters in limbo – Kassena Nankena, the paper adds that this is because the Public Election (Registration of Voters) Regulation 2012 (CI 72) debars voters who register less than 60 days to an election from taking part in such exercise. This was echoed in the Ghanaian Times as Judge on Kassena residents: They can’t vote.

Ahead of Friday’s polls, the need for peaceful elections has been reiterated as Security set for polls – Kudalor.According to the Finder, among the organisations set up by the Police Service for Friday’s polls are the National Elections Task Force (NETSF), Election Security Planning Committee (ESPC), Joint Operations Centre and Media Monitoring (JOC and MMC), emergency response, welfare and medical support teams. In the lead-up to the D-day, the police run a number of capacity building exercises for security personnel.

Staying with security, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, has assured that adequate measures have been put in place to ensure a successful and peaceful election. The Ghanaian Times captures this in the headline IGP: Elections will be Smooth. He gave the assurance when the National Elections Security Task Force (NESFF) on Monday, briefed the Minister of Interior, Mr. William Kwesi Aboah, on security preparations for the December 7 elections.

Another headline making news today reads, Telcos Warned. The chairman of the National Communications Authority Board, Mr. Kofi Totobi Quakyi, has said no person or group of persons will be allowed to cause panic or spread fear in the country, during and after Friday’s general election.

He warned that mobile network operators would be held responsible for any threat to national security and stability emanating from communication generated from unregistered SIM cards.

We wrap up this morning’s review with news that Thumb-print on pictures, symbols valid. The Electoral Commission (EC) has stated that ballot papers with thumb-prints on the picture of the candidate, the symbol or the space provided for thumb-print should not be regarded as spoilt ballot and rejected. The deputy Eastern Regional Director of the EC, Mr. Faith Amedzake explained that it will enable ballot papers of voters who are illiterate to be accepted, the Ghanaian Times reports.

This daily news review is compiled by African Elections Project (AEP) Media Monitoring Centre, Accra, Ghana. Follows us on twitter @Ghanaelections and like our facebook page Ghana Votes