EC opens nominations for the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections

The Electoral Commission (EC) has declared the opening of nominations for the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections.

Reacting to Covid-19 protocols however, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa stated that the EC intends to make available nomination forms to all political parties as well as independent candidates on its website.

Accordingly, nominations are to be filed from Monday 5th to Friday 9th October 2020, with a filing fee of GHS100, 000 for presidential candidates, and GHS10, 000 for parliamentary candidates.

Filing fees are to be paid in banker’s draft, according to the Electoral Commission.

“This year’s nomination will be different from previous nominations.  As you are all aware, we are operating in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the commission has introduced a number of measures to reduce human contact and human traffic and its activities and operations to a large extent. Our commitment to promote and undertake a COVID-19 free election has largely informed and influence the changes we have made to our activities and the nomination process is not left out”.

Also, candidates can only access the forms via unique passwords, which will be provided to general secretaries of the various political parties.

Independent candidates can, however, access the passwords from the IT department of the Commission through their representatives.

The EC chair indicated that the nomination forms will only be received between 9:00 am and 12:00 noon and 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm each day during the stipulated times.

All candidates have also been directed to submit the forms in quadruplicates.

Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission (EC) has announced September 18 to 25 as the period slated for the exhibition of the newly compiled voters’ register.

In a statement issued by the Commission, the exercise is said to be in accordance with 23(1) of the C.I.91 of the Public Elections Regulations 2016.

Giving further details, the Commission said the exhibition will be conducted at all polling stations throughout the country from 7 am to 6 pm.

The week-long exercise will also give individuals who identify errors in their details an opportunity to make changes or alter them.

The Director of Elections for the Commission, Dr. Serebour Quarcoo, speaking in an earlier interview, advised Ghanaians who registered to partake in the exhibition exercise.

Additionally, he intimated that a platform will be made available for Ghanaians to object ‘suspicious’ names in the voters’ register.

Although the EC had projected registering 15 million eligible voters, the Chairperson for the Commission, Jean Mensa revealed that some 16,663,669 people were registered onto the new electoral roll.

The compilation of the new voters register concerned on June 30, 2020, and ended on August 6, 2020, after countless protests from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and some Civil Society Organizations.