Politics of Monday, 2 March 2015

Source: GNA

Candidates clandestinely using party colours in D/A election

Although District level elections are supposed to be non-partisan, the posters of the various candidates clearly depicted their political party lineage.

While candidates coming from the National Democratic Congress(NDC) mostly rely on green and red colours to give some semblance of their party colours, those belonging to the New Patriotic Party on the other hand mostly use the blue and white colours.

Ghana News Agency (GNA) checks also revealed that others clandestinely use clothing that feature their party colours prominently.

Mr Jerry Clottey, a Public Servant who lives at Korle-Bu, and a campaign manager for one of the candidates in the area, told the GNA that using party colours was the only way candidates could identify themselves to the electorate.

He explained that the colours were artfully used in places where certain parties were very strong, and that, the colours is used to capture the electorate for their candidates.

A returning Officer at the Ablekuma Central constituency, who pleaded anonymity, however stated that the situation was unpleasant for grassroot democracy.

"If even at the grassroot level people engage in such partisanship then I wonder where it will end."

Further investigations by the GNA revealed that since the Electoral Commission does not debar candidates from wearing attires made in party colours for campaign posters, it would be difficult to hold them responsible.