Accra, July 7, GNA - Parliament on Wednesday passed the District Assembly Amendment Bill to over ride the earlier law that allowed only the Electoral Commission (EC) to mount common platforms for campaigning. This amendment affects the 2010 District Assembly Elections in September 2010.

Under the bill organizations desirous to mounting platforms could do so subject to the written approval of the EC.

The purpose of the bill is to amend Act 473 to facilitate the conduct of District Assembly Elections and to open up participation. Reports from the Committee for Local Government and Rural Development on the bill stated that the use of EC in mounting platform for campaigning was hampering the conduct of elections and affecting participation. Mr. Dominic Azimbe Azumah, Chairman of the Committee, said organizations other than political parties desirous to mount platform could only do so according to the terms agreed by the EC.

He cautioned that political parties, organisations and individuals that contravened the law shall be liable to conviction not exceeding 250 penalty units.