The Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) has joined calls by the Convention People’s Party (CPP) for a reduction in the filing fees for presidential and parliamentary aspirants, saying if the presidency is made the reserve of the rich, as, in his opinion, the situation appears to be, then an uprising could be imminent.
The Electoral Commission has pegged the filing fee at GHC50,000 for presidential nominees and GHC10,000 for parliamentary nominees.
At least 16 political parties and seven independent presidential aspirants have picked nomination forms to contest in the December 7 presidential election.
Flag bearer of the GCPP, Dr Henry Lartey, speaking to Class News, said becoming president or a legislator should not be made a preserve of the rich.
“We are waiting for them (EC) to bring down the price, it’s too expensive. We can afford it but is it the correct thing to do? Abraham Lincoln said democracy of the people, by the people, and for the people. We are doing this for the people and if you create the situation where the ordinary person cannot pay to be an MP or be a president, what are we doing? Is it going to be just the preserve of the rich? Or the preserve of those in wrong businesses like cocaine money to rule us? If we continue doing that, people will be angry, get upset, then they will take the law into their own hands. If they take the law into their own hands, we are going to have a Ghanaian Spring – it will be worse than the Arab Spring. We should be very careful and not just get up and plug figures in the air,” he stated.
Meanwhile, political parties and presidential aspirants are to submit their forms latest by Friday September 30.
Source: classfmonline.com
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |
So if you don't have 50,000 cedis you can not stand as a presidential candidate, hmm no wonder they steal and squander all the monies when in Power because they need to retrieve those monies back. EC is encouraging corruption because people can borrow money to do it and after that steal money from government coffers to pay. The money should be reduced. IT IS TOO MUCH are they standing for World President
for presidential position and you do not have 50,000ghana cedis to pay then forget. Your tour throughout the country to campaign, wont it cost more than 100,000ghana cedis If you want to be president and you spend 200,000ghana cedis to register and campaign what is it. President of a is not a small position to be contested by anybody. The presidential position will be too cheap if the amount is reduced.
Jaguar jokers ,You should be able to raise 5000ghc from each region, if you really are a national party
you said it all, this is the act of promoting corruption. if the positions are reserve for the rich then while should the poor be involved in deciding who becomes the president and what have you.
It is because of the likes of you is the reason why I totally support the EC with this one