Skip to main content

EC deploys personnel to inspect party offices

EC Chairperson-Jean Mensah
The Electoral Commission (EC) has deployed personnel to inspect the offices of political parties and also check on their activities.

The exercise is scheduled to take place tomorrow in all 10 previously existing regions across the country.

Already, the EC has inspected the National offices of political parties and will continue with the inspection in districts after the regional inspection.

The exercise is backed by the Political Parties’ Act, (Act 574) which insists that all political parties have a nationwide presence, including having offices at the national and regional levels and in two-thirds of districts across the country.

However, there are growing concerns that the EC has been lenient on political parties which are said to show up during elections, only to fold up afterwards. But the EC says it will not relent on its duties henceforth.

Background 

The Political Parties Act, 2000 (Act 574) mandates political parties to have offices at the national and regional levels and at least in two-thirds of the districts in the country.

However, a 2015 report by the EC showed that out of the 23 political parties that had registered with the commission, only the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) met the physical presence requirement in at least 144 of the 216 districts.

The report cited the Convention People’s Party (CPP), the People’s National Convention (PNC), the National Democratic Party (NDP), the National Reform Party (NRP), the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) and other parties as not meeting that requirement.

It said it found a trend where some offices alleged to belong to the parties were not even painted in party colours.

Predictably, the 2015 report said the NDC and the NPP had 195 and 200 district offices, respectively.
Following that report, a number of civil society organisations and governance institutions called on the EC to fully sanction the political parties for non-compliance with Act 574.



Source: citinewsroom.com

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Stop running commentary on our investigations - A-G warns EOCO

Attorney-General, Gloria Akuffo Ms Gloria Afua Akuffo, the Attorney-General has asked the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to open itself to the public but to avoid running commentary on its investigations. According to her speaking in public about their investigations could only frustrates their efforts as well as give out too much information to criminals to change their mode of operations. “Criminals are always waiting to cover their tracks and therefore coming out to speak constantly about a matter, makes it easier for them to cover up and therefore frustrating the outcome of the investigations,” she stressed. She advised that the statutory body should avoid following rumours and suspicions so as not to not embarrass themselves. Ms Akuffo said this at EOCO’s maiden national stakeholders’ forum in Accra aimed at interacting with stakeholders and share information on cases investigated, prosecutions and convictions obtained as well as recoveries and confiscations made. ...

Ofori-Atta to present mid-year budget review Thursday

  The Minister of Finance, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta, is expected to move for the adoption of the Mid-Year Review Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Government next week. The Mid-Year Budget, which is the Government’s supplementary estimate for the 2021 financial year, would be proposed to the House on Thursday, July 22, at the Parliament House, Accra. Mr. Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Deputy Majority Leader, announced this on the floor of the House in Accra, on Friday, when he presented the  Business  Statement for the Ninth Week Ending Friday, July 23, 2021, of the current meeting of the Legislature. He said Tuesday, July 20, is a public holiday in respect of the Eid ul-Adha and would be observed as such. The Finance Minister would also answer a question on the cost of President Akufo-Addo’s official travels to France, Belgium, and South Africa in May, this year. He is expected to tell the House the cost of air travel of the President using chartered flight between 2013 an...

Open defecation will send many to hell - Top Man of God

Open Defecation(File Photo) The Royal Reign Chapel International has launched a campaign against open defecation. Founder and leader of the church, Reverend Fiifi Ankomah explaining the rationale behind the campaign said, the irresponsible acts by some individuals have cost the nation a lot hence the reason behind their campaign. According to him, he took the initiative to research the Bible to support his campaign and from what he gathered, open defecation is something evil and against the will of God. He said God who dwells among men does not do so when the people engage in open defecation. Quoting Deuteronomy 23:13-14 to buttress his point he said:    And you shall have a trowel with your tools, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig a hole with it and turn back and cover up your excrement.   14  Because  the  Lord  your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be ...