Charlotte Osei, EC Boss
The Electoral Commission (EC) is urging nominees contesting in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary election to submit their filing fees by Monday.
A statement by the EC says the fees must be in Banker’s draft and must be submitted not later than “12:00 noon on Monday, October 10, 2016.”
“Presidential nominees are to submit their draft to the Returning Officer at the Head Office of the Commission; Parliamentary nominees are to submit their draft to the Returning Officers at the District Offices of the Electoral Commission where their Constituencies are situated,” the statement said.
The EC’s statement comes few hours after an Accra High court sitting on a case brought against the Commission by the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) over the filing fees gave clearance to the EC to receive the money.
The PPP had prayed the court to declare as unconstitutional the powers of the Commission to charge fees from contesting candidates.
The party said the charge of GH¢50,000 fee for presidential nominees and GH¢10,000 for parliamentary nominees was a capricious and arbitrary use of power by the electoral body.
But the court on Friday said the EC can go ahead to receive the filing fees from the political parties who submitted their nomination forms without making the payment last week Friday.
“All nominees are reminded that this is an essential requirement for qualification to be accepted as a Candidate for the 2016 elections, as provided for by Regulation 8 (1) (b) of the Public Elections Regulations, 2016 C.I. 94,” the statement added.
Read the statement:
All nominated candidates for the 2016 Presidential and Parliamentary elections are hereby advised to submit the banker’s draft in respect of their filing fees to the Electoral Commission not later than 12:00 noon on Monday, October 10, 2016.
The submission should be done as follows:
Presidential nominees are to submit their draft to the Returning Officer at the Head Office of the Commission;
Parliamentary nominees are to submit their draft to the Returning Officers at the District Offices of the Electoral Commission where their Constituencies are situated.
Political parties may alternatively pay for their parliamentary nominees at the Head Office of the Commission, but the banker’s draft for such nominees must be accompanied by a list of the party’s candidates on the party’s letterhead and properly signed by authorized party executives.
All nominees are reminded that this is an essential requirement for qualification to be accepted as a Candidate for the 2016 elections, as provided for by Regulation 8 (1) (b) of the Public Elections Regulations, 2016 C.I. 94.
Thank you.
Signed:
ERIC KOFI DZAKPASU
Head of Communications