EC directs political parties to submit audited accounts by May 31
The Electoral Commission (EC) has given all political parties up to May 31, 2016 to submit details of their audited accounts.
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It has warned that sanctions will be applied in accordance with the law if the parties fail to comply with the directive.
The EC has so far registered 24 political parties.
They are the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), the Convention People’s Party (CPP), the People’s National Convention (PNC) and the National Democratic Party (NDP).
Others are the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), the Democratic People’s Party (DPP), the EGLE Party (EP), the United Ghana Movement (UGM), the Ghana Democratic Republican Party (GDRP) and the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP).
Some others are the Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RPD), the National Reform Party (NRP), the Ghana National Party (GNP), the United Renaissance Party (URP), the New Vision Party (NVP), the United Love Party (ULP), the United Front Party (UFP), the United Development System Party (UDSP) and the Independent People’s Party (IPP).
The rest are the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP), the Yes People’s Party (YPP) and the United Progressive Party (UPP).
The All People’s Congress (APC) founded by Mr Hassan Ayariga has received its provisional certificate and is awaiting its final certificate to commence business as a fully registered political party.
If it is successful, it will become the 25th political party so far registered by the EC.
Harshly blamed
But the election management body has been harshly blamed for failing to implement the Political Parties Act, 2000 (Act 574) to the letter.
The EC has in recent times also been called upon to come up with clear criteria to prevent the springing up of political parties which surface only during elections, only to fold up when elections are over.
That is because the current situation where the parties do not adhere strictly to Act 574, while the EC looks on seemingly helplessly, is not helping to grow good governance in the country.
Enforcing the law
However, in a statement, the EC said it intended to enforce the law ahead of the November 7 polls.
The statement, dated April 5, 2016 and signed by Mr Amadu Sulley, Deputy Chairman (Operations) of the EC, and copied to all the political parties, said pursuant to Act 574, all registered political parties were to comply with the requirement of Act 574, Section 21 (1) (b), which requires that audited accounts of the political parties for the year shall be submitted to the EC.
According to Section 14(2), a political party shall, within six months after a by-election in which it has participated, submit to the commission a detailed statement of all expenditures incurred for that election.
Subsequently, the statement demanded of all political parties that contested the Talensi, Amenfi West and Abuakwa North by-elections to comply with the provision.
Section 15(1) also states that within 90 days after the issue to it of a final certificate of registration, a political party shall furnish the EC with details of the existence and location of its national, regional, district and constituency offices.
Parties’ response
In a quick reaction, the National Chairman of the PPP, Nii Allotey Brew Hammond, told the Daily Graphic that the PPP was very much encouraged by the decision of the EC to act, “even though it is long overdue”.
He expressed the hope that political parties would remain law-abiding and work in accordance with the political parties law.
In his view, if Act 574 was too stifling and demanding, the best way out was to seek an amendment and not to flout it.
Nii Hammond said the fact that many political parties had failed to show proof of their financial statements for all previous elections was a clear indication of failure, adding that “it is better late than never and the PPP is encouraged that the EC is working to ensure that all parties submit to the law”.
NDC
The National Organiser of the NDC, Mr Kofi Adams, said the party was working hard to meet the deadline, even though it was a toll on it because it was currently in the final stages of preparing its financial statement.
He said the EC was not obliged to remind the political parties of their constitutional obligation but described the directive as a good reminder.
“If we do not meet the deadline, we will continue to engage the EC and I am sure there will be a way out,” he said.
CPP
The CPP, said it had complied with the law in the past, adding that since a new administration took over in September last year, it was working hard to furnish the EC with its current audited accounts.
In a reaction, Nii Armah Akomfrah, said on behalf of the CPP that the party had no issue regarding the by-elections in Talensi, Amenfi West and Abuakwa North because it did not participate in those elections.
He disclosed that the party was in the process of collating the relevant data from its offices throughout the country and “we will be in a position to reconcile the record with that of the EC soon”.
He wondered why at the same time that the commission was registering new political parties, it was trying to embark on a limited registration exercise.
In his view, the EC was not doing what it had to do right and “it is rather chasing us. The timing is all wrong; the EC should rather seek for credibility and not to divert attention”.
NDP
The National Chairman of the NDP, Dr Josiah Aryeh said the party would try to comply with the EC’s directive.
While admitting that there must be a good reason to comply with the directive, he asked: “If you put a sword on the neck demanding an action and the parties cannot meet the action, then what do you do?”
In his view, the time must be right and practicalised.
“You do not, out of the blue, spring a surprise. It is a wrong time and we believe the time must be right always,” he added.
PNC
The PNC General Secretary, Mr Atik Mohammed, said the directive had come at a time the EC needed to do more, particularly to enhance the credibility of this year’s elections.
“As much as political parties presenting their yearly audited account is a constitutional requirement, it is the expectation of the PNC that the EC will focus on the limited voters registration exercise, as well as getting a credible voters register for the 2016 elections,” he said.
He, however, gave an assurance that the PNC would try to meet the requirements and submit its audited accounts before the deadline.
Independent candidate
An independent presidential candidate in the 2012 elections, Mr Jacob Osei Yeboah, for his part, said the directive was an excellent constitutional request that must be followed.
“For me, there are some things Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, the former EC Chair, overlooked because, in his view, he wanted to nurture democracy. But after more than 20 years of the Fourth Republic, some of these legal requirements should no longer be overlooked, so that Ghana can promote real multi-party democracy,” he added.
NPP
The Daily Graphic got in touch with Nana Akomea, the Communications Director of the NPP, who directed us to speak to Mr Emmanuel Abankwa Yeboah, the party’s treasurer, but efforts to reach Mr Abankwa Yeboah proved futile.