EC receives over GH¢260 million for 2012 elections

The Electoral Commission has received a total of GH¢262,256,525 (Two Hundred and Sixty-Two Million, Two Hundred and Fifty-Six Thousand, Five Hundred and Twenty-Five Ghana Cedis) in connection with the upcoming December Parliamentary and Presidential Elections.

This is according to a statement issued and signed by the Media Liaison of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Abdul Hakim Ahmed.

The statement said: “The disbursement represents 91.5 per cent of the total election related budget amounting to GH¢286,288,025 submitted by the Electoral Commission to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to fund biometric registration, acquisition of verification equipment, exhibition of voters register and the conduct of the Presidential and Parliamentary elections.’

“Government is committed to its vow of ensuring that the Electoral Commission is adequately resourced to conduct free, fair and transparent elections to the satisfaction of all stakeholders as a way of consolidating the democratic process,” the statement added.

Parliament, last week passed the Public Elections Regulation (CI75) which gives the Electoral Commission the power to go ahead with the biometric register and its related verification system.

The house will be sitting on the controversial C!78 which will give legal backing to the EC’s intended creation of 45 new constituencies.