Nominations Begin

By William Yaw Owusu

Thursday, 16 October 2008
The filing of nomination by aspiring Presidential candidates to contest the December 7 general election commences today.
Seven political parties and three independent aspirants had reportedly picked nomination forms to contest the poll by press time yesterday.
The parties are the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RPD), the Democratic People’s Party (DPP) and the Convention People’s party (CPP).
The others are the New Vision Party (NVP), National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP).
The independent aspirants include Kwasi Amoafo-Yeboah, Alex Hamah and Richard Nixon Tetteh.
The NPP, NDC and the CPP have all confirmed that they will be filing their nominations by close of today.
Christian Owusu-Parry, the Public Relations Officer of the Electoral Commission (EC) told the Times that all was set for the aspirants “to come and file their nomination”.
Contrary to speculations that Mr. Dan Lartey of the GCPP may not be allowed to contest because the EC had not recognised the party’s national executives, Mr Owusu-Parry said the veteran politician had picked his form and did not have problem with him.
He explained that there is a difference between how flag-bearers and national executives are selected.
“In the case of the GCPP, we have made it clear that we do not recognise the executive.”
Mr. Lartey told the Times on telephone yesterday that he would file his nomination by Friday and make public his running mate.
“If you want to know who my running mate will be then come to the premises of the EC on Friday to know more.
“I do not make public my running mate because the media wants me to do so. The GCPP is working according