Ghana Needs Election Fund

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Thursday December 16, 2010
A SENIOR Programme Manager of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), Isaac Owusu-Mensah has advocated for the setting up of a special fund for the Electoral Commission (EC) to enable the commission to live up to its constitutional mandate.

He said if that is done, it would enhance the budgetary needs and promote the independence of the EC and also enable the Commission to plan and execute their programmes without any fear of the government’s inability to provide funds.

Mr. Owusu-Mensah was speaking at a two-day workshop organized by Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) with sponsorship from KAS for candidates of the impending District Assemblies elections from Techiman Municipality, Nkoranza South and North District Assemblies in Techiman.

He said elections all over the world were becoming very expensive and needed an innovative mechanism to ensure that those in charge of the exercise got the needed boost to be able to conduct a transparent and credible exercise.

“Unfortunately the more electoral commissions designed means of ensuring fairness and credibility of the elections, the sooner political parties adopted means of catching up to thwart the efforts of the commissions with attempts to cheat to fulfill their objectives of winning such contests.”

Mr. Owusu-Mensah said Ghana’s general elections over the years have received tremendous support from the international donor community and noted that these supports were drying up as a result of gains made in the consolidation of democracy in the country.

“It is time Ghana as a country, adopts innovative means of funding our own democracy. One of such means is elections fund.

“The Commission has over the years had its budget cut or delayed in the release of funds by the central government as a result of lack of funds. However, with the establishment of the elections fund, the Commission will be capable of adopting more innovative technological means of ensuring that elections become credible.”

He said another means of conducting credible, free and transparent elections will be the adoption of a biometric voters’ register and electronic voting, saying “this will also reduce the budgetary and financial pressure placed on the government.”

Twumasi Ampofo, MP for Nkoranza South speaking on the topic, “Strategies of wining elections at the district level,” reminded participants about the non-partisan nature of District Assemblies elections and asked them to work devoid of partisanship.

He also asked them to make the development of their electoral areas a priority and see themselves as servants of the people.

Ms. Ofori-Boadu, gender activist and a member of APRM Council, who was a facilitator, took participants through the dynamics of elections.
According to Ms. Ofori-Boadu, efforts by candidates would be in vain, if they failed to plan properly for the elections.