The Electoral Commission (EC) has stated that public servants must resign before filing their nominations to contest the December 7 elections.
Dr Kwadwo Afari Gyan, Chairman of the EC, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra said the Commission would disqualify any public servant who does not resign before filing the nomination papers.
Nominations for the presidential and parliamentary elections would take place on September 12 and 13.
The names of many civil and public servants have come up in the list of candidates selected by political parties to contest the parliamentary vote.
Dr Afari Gyan explained that those public and civil servants whose names have come up have only declared their intention to contest and until they file their nominations, they have not breached any law or requirement for sanctions to be applied against them.
The electoral guide to candidates specifically names certain categories of public servants who are disqualified from contesting elections in the country.
The disqualification affects public servants in the Police Service, Prison Service, Armed Forces, Judicial Service, Legal Service, Civil Service and Statistical Service.
Others are the Audit Service, Parliamentary Service, Ghana National Fire Service, Immigration Service, Internal Revenue Service and Customs, Excise and Preventive Service.
Dr Afari Gyan also named other categories of people who are disqualified from contesting elections. These include anyone who has been declared bankrupt and has not been discharged under any law in force in the country.
Anyone found to be incompetent to hold public office, or to have misused or abused his position as a public officer by a report of a judicial or quasi-judicial commission or committee whose finding has otherwise been confirmed by a government White Paper cannot also stand for the elections.
All those who have been disqualified by law from registering as a voter or standing as a candidate, and those whose official functions are connected with the conduct of elections or entail responsibility for the electoral register cannot contest.
Anyone who has not declared his or her assets is also disqualified. Chiefs are disqualified unless they abdicate.
Anyone whose offence is punishable by death or by a sentence of not less than 10 years or has committed an offence in connection with an election cannot contest.
Dr Afari Gyan stressed that all these requirements apply to presidential candidates too.
The electoral guide said qualifications for the contest of election include being a citizen of Ghana, 21 years or above on the voting day in the case of parliamentary elections and 40 years for the presidential, and must be a registered voter.
The prospective candidate is required to have resided in or hail from the constituency concerned or have lived there for at least five years out of the 10 years immediately preceding the election.
The law also requires that candidates pay all taxes or must have made satisfactory arrangements for their payment.
The general procedure for the nomination of a candidate for election includes the filing of nomination forms, provided by the EC and signed by the candidate and, at least, two registered voters in each district for the presidential candidate and in the case of parliamentary candidates, 20 registered voters in the constituency.
Presidential candidates must nominate their running mates who also satisfy the same criteria of eligibility as the President.
Nomination forms of a presidential candidate should be delivered to the Chairman of the Commission or his designated authority with a deposit of ?5 million. — GNA
