The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), has urged political parties calling for a reduction in the filing fees for this year’s election, to appeal to the Electoral Commission to call for an emergency Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting to discuss the issue.
Last week, the EC increased by about 500 percent, the filing fees for presidential aspirants which is now pegged at GHc50,000.
It also pegged filing fees for parliamentary aspirants at GHc10,000. Some smaller parties have angrily protested saying the amount would only limit participation in the democratic process to a privileged few.
“What they can do if they want a reduction is that they can dialogue with the commission, it’s not a question of giving them an ultimatum, just organize an emergency IPAC, let them meet and you raise the concern.
The last time they held an IPAC meeting, the commission said it was going to look at it again so let us give them the benefit of the doubt; they might have some small reduction for them,” the National Coordinator for CODEO, Albert Arhin said.
Albert Arhin also explained that threatening the Electoral Commission is unnecessary. “…they [EC] want to make sure that anybody who is trying to enter into this competition is a little bit serious.
There is this thing about the fact that other people may not be able to do it. But you are competing to be a parliamentary candidate for a constituency and you are paying GHc10, 000, I think its okay.
In the case of the presidential, I think the fact is that, you need to be a serious person before you would want to embark on such a mission.” The EC had explained that candidates who are able to garner about 25% of the votes would have their monies refunded to them.
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