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

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Full Statement : Corruption Watch, others Assesses Amidu's Works as OSP after one year

Martin Amidu, Special Prosecutor Director for Advocacy and Policy Engagement, CDD-Ghana, Dr. Kojo Pumpuni Asante on behalf of Corruption Watch, the CSO Coalition on the OSP and ADISS, on Monday 13th May 2019 at a Roundtable Discussion at Coconut Groove Hotel in Accra, presented an assessment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor led by Mr Martin A B K Amidu, after one year in office. It would be recalled that during the 2016 election campaign, then candidate Nana Akufo-Addo promised to create an office for Special Prosecutor to aid the work of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice in the fight against corruption if elected.   And true to his promise, on January 11 2018, the president announced popular anti-graft campaigner, Martin Amidu as the first ever Special Prosecutor. The announcement was greeted by excitement from most Ghanaians due to the vigorous nature Amidu fought against his party (the NDC) in the infamous judgement debt paid to busines...
Post a Comment
Read more

UN Special Rapporteurs urge Ghana to withdraw the anti-LGBTI Bill.

  UN human rights experts urged Ghana’s Government to reject a proposed ‘family values’ bill, saying it seeks to establish a system of State-sponsored discrimination and violence against the LGBTI community. The bill’s first reading took place on August 2, 2021, and its consideration is expected to resume in October 2021.   “The draft legislation argues that any person who deviates from an arbitrary standard of sexual orientation or gender identity is immediate to be considered dangerous, sick or anti-social,” said the experts. “Such laws are a textbook example of discrimination.  “The proposed law promotes deeply harmful practices that amount to ill-treatment and are conducive to torture, such as so-called ‘conversion therapy’ and other heinous violations like unnecessary medical procedures on intersex children, and so-called corrective rape for women,” they added.  The independent experts, appointed by the Human Rights Council, presented an analysis of the dra...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dogboe takes time off boxing

Isaac Dogboe Isaac Dogboe's journey in the pugilistic sport is far from over, even though he is to take a lengthy break. The 24-year-old will remain in the sport but will take time off and resume his university education, he has exclusively confirmed to Joy Sports. The former world champion gained admission to the Penster University last year but had deferred studies due to the demands of his boxing career. This decision to return to school comes after a one-on-one meeting with his father, Paul, who led his corner on the night of his humiliating loss to WBO super bantamweight champion, Emmanuel Navarette. "I am good and glad I was not injured. It's rather unfortunate I couldn't win the bout and I guess sometimes these things happen. I am grateful to all for the massive support for this bout,” he told Joy Sports in Arizona. He mentions that he will take time off to get himself back into school, and re-strategize to make a return to the ...
Post a Comment
Read more