Ghana electoral body has justified the 100 percent increment in the filing fee which is to be paid by political parties ahead of the 2020 elections.
The Electoral Commission on Monday, September 14, 2020 announced that it had increased the filing fees of presidential aspirants from GHC50,000 to GHC100,000.
It furthered that parliamentary aspirants are to pay ¢10,000.
The new figures have been widely condemned by particularly presidential aspirants of minority parties.
Explaining the increment of the filing fees in an interview on CitiNews, however, a Deputy Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Bossman Eric Asare insisted that the increment is in tandem with the value of the currency.
“In each particular year, it is important you look at the value of GHS50,000 in 2016, then compare it to GHS50,000 in 2020 then you will notice that the Commission has not increased it much. And even when you look at the [filing fee for] parliamentary [aspirants], the GHS10,000, you will realise that the Commission has reduced the price because we all know that GHS10,000 in 2016, is not the same as GHS10,000 in 2020. The Commission is doing this to promote multiparty democracy.”
Chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensa during the press briefing on Monday, explained that candidates are expected to access their nomination forms online effective Monday, September 14, 2020 at 6:00pm.
The EC further declared a five-day period for candidates or representatives of political parties to present their nomination forms from October 5-9, 2020.