We need to put pressure on EC to “render annual accounts of the electoral processes”- CDD

The Center for Democratic Development Ghana (CDD-Ghana), has probed the fee demanded by the Electoral Commission (EC) as prerequisite for the filing of nominations by presidential candidates for the upcoming election.

Nana Kwabena Aborampah Mensah, the Senior Programs Officer for the Center for Democratic Development Ghana (CDD-Ghana), in an interview demanded answers on the EC’s justification for demanding such an outrageous sum from the presidential aspirants.

Suggesting ways of ensuring accountability and transparency in the dealings of the EC, Mr. Mensah proposed that the EC should be made to render annual accounts of its expenses.

 “Come to think of it, every activity in the electoral process had been budgeted for, so why the need to put pressure on the aspirants? We are causing further strain on the public purse because the country already allocates huge sums of money for the conduct of elections, then there is the issue of parties and people winning elections and having to recoup the monies they invested. We need to start putting pressure on the EC to render annual accounts of the electoral processes.”

According to Mr. Mensah, the implication of charging such an amount is that it creates the perfection for corruption to thrive as most candidates on resuming power look forward to recouping these monies.

“We got alarmed after research into the cost of politics in Ghana. We found out that parliamentary candidates that seek political power spend about USD 85,000 on just the contest. That excludes the filing fee, campaigning, and other expenses. This is really outrageous and should be looked at. This has implications for governance. Talk of corruption, mismanagement and what have you, because the people need to recoup the monies they invest.”

Nana Kwabena Aborampah Mensah

Elsewhere, a Deputy Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Bossman Eric Asare defended the 100 percent increment of nomination as being in sync with the value of the currency.

“In each particular year, it is important you look at the value of GHS50, 000 in 2016, then compare it to GHS50, 000 in 2020 then you will notice that the Commission has not increased it much. And even when you look at the [filing fee for] parliamentary [aspirants], the GHS10,000, you will realize that the Commission has reduced the price because we all know that GHS10,000 in 2016, is not the same as GHS10,000 in 2020. The Commission is doing this to promote multiparty democracy.”

The EC, on Monday, September 14, 2020, opened nominations for the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections.

The nominations are to be filed from Monday, October 5, 2020, to Friday, October 9, 2020, with GHS100, 000 set as the filing fee for presidential candidates, and GHS10, 000 for parliamentary candidates.

In 2016, presidential candidates of the various political parties filed nominations at GHs50, 000 whilst parliamentary candidates paid GHs10, 000.