Electoral Commission: We are in control

Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan is the Electoral Commissioner of Ghana

By William Yaw Owusu

Friday June 6, 2008
THE Electoral Commission says it has not shirked its responsibility as far as the registration of political parties is concerned.

In recent times there has been concerns raised by the public especially some political analysts about the formation of more political parties to add up to the already chocked system and have questioned the criteria used by the EC to register such parties.

Christina Owusu-Parry, Acting Public Affairs Director of the Electoral Commission, reacting to public concerns to the Times in Accra on Wednesday “We conduct thorough investigation into the backgrounds of the political parties to ensure that they satisfy all the constitutional requirement before we issue them with certificates in Accra.”

He said so far about 16 political parties have registered with the EC and have been used with final certificates to operate, adding “there are two other parties namely New Vision Party (NVP) and United Love Party (ULP) who are yet to be issued with final certicates.

Mr Owusu-Parry said that the New Vision Party is expected to collect its final certificate on June 6 (today).

Under the Political Parties Act, 2000 (Act 574), “An application to register a political party shall be made to the commission and shall be accompanied with a copy of the constitution and the rules and regulations, if any, of the political party, duly signed by the interim national chairman or leader and by the interim national or general secretary of the party.” Act 574 further states: “written names and addresses of its national officers, a full description of the identifying symbols, slogans and colours, if any, of the political party, the registration fee specified in Subsection One of Section Four and such other particulars as the commission may reasonably require”.


Also, “The commission shall not register a political party under this act unless the internal organisation of the party conforms with democratic principles and its actions and purposes are not contrary to or inconsistent with the Constitution.”

The Act says the EC shall not register a political party unless “the party has on its national executive committee one member from each region, it has branches in all the regions and is, in addition, organised in not less than two-thirds of the districts in each region, there is in each district at least one founder member of the party who is ordinarily resident in the district or is a registered voter in the district”.

On the issue of the provision of particulars of national, head or regional, district and constituency offices and officers,Section 15(1) says “Within 90 days after the issue to it of a final certificate of registration, a political party shall furnish the commission with the details of the existence and location of its national, regional, district and constituency offices.”

Section 15 (2) (a) and (b) further direct: “A political party shall also, within the period specified in sub section One, submit to the commission the names, titles and addresses of its officers at the national, regional, district and constituency levels and also at such other levels of organisation as the commission may direct and the name and address of the auditors of the political party.”

Section 15 (3) (a) (b) and (c) state “Where a political party refuses or neglects to comply with this section; or makes a statement in a matter submitted to the commission under this section which is false; or has refused, neglected or failed to establish or maintain a national office or to establish or maintain a national office or to establish or maintain a regional office in every region, the commission may cancel the registration of that political party.”

Mr. Owusu-Parry said the EC will not hesitate to withdraw the certificates ifany party went contrary to the law.