WILL POLITICAL PARTIES REDUCE NO. PCs?

The presidential hopeful of the United Freedom Party, UFP, Dr. Nana Agyenim Boateng, says the amount of money being charged by the Electoral Commission as the Filing Fee, in itself, is not a problem, as the political parties and aspiring Presidents of the Republic could afford. 

The challenge however is the time the information was released by the Commission and the payment deadline which he says is too short. 

Also, the rate of increase is astronomical, compared with the Filing Fee charged last four years for both the Presidential nominees and the MP aspirants. 

 Speaking to Ashanti Today, Dr. Nana Agyenim Boateng noted that the UFP has little option in going ahead to file to contest in the Presidential race. 

He said however that, the party will have to restrategize in deciding the number of candidates to present in the Parliamentary elections. 

The one of the considerations for the party is to reduce the original number it earlier intended to present in the December elections or some of the aspirants on the UFP’s ticket might be asked to sponsor themselves.

 Otherwise, the budget of the party would be thrown out of gear. 

The UFP presidential hopeful, who was acclaimed early this month in Kumasi, is yet to come out with his Running mate, which is one of the major Constitutional requirement for any Presidential aspirant to be officially permitted by the Electoral Commission to join the race. 

On his part, the Old Tafo-Pankrono Parliamentary aspirant on the ticket of the CPP, Abdul Salam, who is also the Ashanti Regional Secretary of the party, shared virtually the same opinion as that of the UFP founder.

 Mr. Salam said the 10 thousand Ghana Cedis Filing Fee for prospective Parliamentary candidates is too high, considering the two thousand Ghana Cedis he had already budgeted for.

 He however admitted that the Electoral Commission needs much money to undertake some of the additional responsibilities in this year’s electoral processes such as the hiring of persons with better academic qualifications as Election Officials among other new reforms. 

Notwithstanding these factors, the EC should have also considered the financial strength of the political parties in deciding the amount chargeable as the Filing Fee.

 Mr. Salam was also of the view that some of the political parties would have to cut down on the number of candidates to be fielded in this year’s elections to save cost. 

The PPP’s candidate for Manhyia North in Kumasi, Berthrin Amponsah Britwum said she is still looking up to the party’s executives for directions on the way forward, adding that she is still hopeful of been a candidate by the close of the nominations.

 Ms. Amponsah, nonetheless advised her party to push for a reduction in the filing fee since, in her opinion, it is on higher side.