Africa Foundation indicts NDC/NPP

Accra, Sept. 06, GNA - Governance Africa Foundation, (GAfF) on Monday indicted the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) for political and electoral violence under the fourth republic.

"The acts of violence perpetrated by functionaries of the two parties most often with the tacit endorsement of their national and leading members as well as their media collaborators are a threat to our evolving democracy.

"Non-political and objective perusal of the electoral environment indicates that the two parties are culpable either jointly or individually for killing, destruction of properties, intimidating, and any other acts of evil connected to elections in the country," Mr Kwaku Baa-Owusu, GAfF Executive Director, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Accra.

He, therefore, called on governance institutions, civil society organisations, religious bodies, traditional rulers and non-political entities to come together to register their displeasure about these acts of violence. Mr Baa-Owusu also expressed concern about the lack of cogent political activities by the other minority parties, describing the activities of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) and the Peoples National Convention as disappointing. He noted with indignation the penchant for political parties to flout the Political Parties Act 2000 without any remorse. "They have consistently failed to periodically declare their assets and expenditure, notify the Electoral Commission of changes of their national leaders and office locations". The Political Parties Act mandates that "within twenty -one days before the general elections, contesting political parties should submit to the EC statement of their assets and liabilities in such form as the Commission may direct.

"A political party shall within six months after a general or by-election in which it has participated , submit to the Commission a detailed statement in such form as the Commission may direct, of all expenditure incurred for that election. "Where a political party registered under this Act changes or alters

its constitution, its rules or regulations, the title or address of any person or office submitted to the Commission under section 15 of this Act, or its identifying symbol, slogan, colour or name. "It shall notify the EC of the change or alteration and Commission shall within fourteen days from the date of receipt of the notification cause to be published in the Gazette the change or alteration". Mr Baa-Owusu, therefore, called for vigorous monitoring of the political environment by democratic stakeholders to ensure that political parties comply with the laws of the land.