Johnson Asiedu Nketia
The Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has suggested that the Electoral Commission (EC) should be allocated funds from the national budget to supervise and support internal party elections, to reduce the financial burden on political parties and parliamentary aspirants.
Speaking in an interview on Onua TV Maakye show, he argued that state funding for party primaries would help reduce the high cost associated with internal elections and minimise the influence of money in politics, particularly among individuals seeking to contest parliamentary seats, as well as individuals contesting for party offices.
He said, “Doing away with the delegates system is a good thing, but if we want to fight corruption as a country, then in the next budget that will be read, the Electoral Commission should factor internal party elections into their budget and present to the state to fund internal party elections of political parties.”
According to him, state support for party primaries would ensure that the cost of participation is reduced for candidates and individuals who express interest in contesting political positions, adding that political parties had over the years engaged the Electoral Commission on the need for their internal electoral processes to conform to democratic principles as enshrined in their respective party constitutions.
“A lot of us have had discussions with the Electoral Commission in the past that all the internal party activities should conform to democratic principles as expressed in the constitution of the party. It is because of this that during party elections, the Electoral Commission has to supervise the party’s internal elections,” he stated.
Mr. Asiedu Nketia described Ghana’s arrangement, where the Electoral Commission supervises internal party elections, as a good democratic practice that is not common in many West African countries, noting that countries such as Nigeria do not allow their electoral management bodies to supervise internal party elections because of differing views on the role of state institutions in party affairs.
“This is a very democratic process which many West African countries do not agree to such arrangements. This does not happen in countries such as Nigeria, where citizens, I am told at one of my lectures there, that they do not believe internal party elections should be supervised by the Electoral Commission of the country,” he disclosed.
“Why should the party continuously provide money to the Electoral Commission to perform their constitutional role? We expect the state to provide a budget for the Electoral Commission to supervise internal party elections of political parties,” he added.
The NDC Chairman questioned why political parties should continue to provide funds for the Electoral Commission to perform what he described as its constitutional responsibility of ensuring credible electoral processes in the country, given how the increasing cost of organising internal elections had become a challenge for political parties, which largely depend on membership dues and filing fees as their main sources of income.
“It has increased the amount spent in contesting for any position one wants to contest. Research has even shown that the amount one has to spend in an attempt to go to Parliament, from primaries to the general elections, when compared with what one will gain for all the four years in Parliament, it means the cost is more than the gains,” the NDC Chairman added.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah