Assessment of political parties starts from Monday July 3 – EC

Accra (Greater Accra) - The preliminary nation-wide assessment of political parties to ensure that their operations are in conformity with constitutional provisions and the Political Parties Law (Act 574) starts from Monday, July 3.

Ghana News Agency (GNA) investigations reveal that a checklist for the inspection of the national, regional and district offices of political parties includes the declaration of assets. This includes the nature of office facility, date and mode of acquisition and the number of rooms and office equipment.

The parties are also to disclose the type of furniture in use, payment of the salaries of party office permanent staff, utility bills and other party expenditures.

The checklist is based on sections 15(1) 13(1) of the political parties Act 2000. It states that within 90 days after the issue to it of final certificate of registration, a political party shall furnish the commission with details of the existence and location of its national, regional, district and constituency offices or such longer period as the commission may allow.

The parties are to submit to the commission a written declaration of cash or kind donations made to the initial assets of the party by its founding members.

The commission's assessment lists also require the political parties to declare the contributions by citizens in the form of dues and donations in cash and kind.

Section 23 of the act states that the commission should also be informed about contributions or donations in cash or kind, property and time of acquisition and audited accounts for the year.

These are constitutional and statutory provisions that the parties are required to meet and make available to the commission for verification.

The Act says this shall be supported by a statutory declaration made by the national treasurer and the national or general secretary of the party.

The GNA investigations also revealed that political parties are to provide the particulars of their national, regional and district officers. EC would require their names and voter ID card numbers, residential addresses and the name and address of the auditor of the party.

Act 574 section 7(2) and 15(2a and 2b) state that a political party shall not have as a founding member, a leader or a member of its executive a person who is not qualified to be elected as a member of parliament or is not qualified to hold any public office.

The Act says a political party shall submit to the commission the names, titles and addressees of its officers at the national, regional, district and constituency levels and also at such other levels of organisation as the commission may direct and the name and address of the auditors.