NDC begins vetting of flag bearer aspirants

Accra, June 7, GNA - The National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Tuesd= ay began vetting the two candidates who have filed their nomination papers to contest for the flag bearer position of the party for the 2012 presidential election. The vetting is the penultimate step on the time-table before its National Delegates' Congress slated for Sunyani from July 8-10 to elect t= he flag bearer.

The candidates who filed their nomination papers 96 President John Ev= ans Atta Mills and former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings 96 will app= ear before the party's vetting committee.

Nana Konadu is facing the Vetting Committee on Tuesday, while Presiden= t Mills will take his turn on Wednesday.

Nana Konadu was accompanied to the NDC Headquarters by Mr Kofi Adams, the Spokesperson for the Rawlingses.

Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, former vice chairman of the party, who also collected the nomination forms, withdrew because, he said, he could not obtain the necessary endorsements from the constituencies for lack of time. According to the party's roadmap for the National Delegates' Congr= ess, the final step is the release of the list of delegates on June 10. The five-member vetting committee chaired by Alhaji Issifu Ali, a former Co-Chairman of the NDC, will examine the documents filed by the candidates and examine their qualifications under the party's constitutio= n. Other members of the Vetting Committee are Mr Lionel Mobila, Dr (Mrs) Mary Grant, Mr Cletus Avoka and Mr Chris Ackumey.

Under the rules each contestant shall be proposed by two persons and seconded by four persons who must be members of the executive at the branch= , constituency, regional or national levels. A duly proposed contestant shall be endorsed by two members of the executive at any level of the party from each of the 230 constituencies of the country.

On the qualification of flag bearer aspirants the aspirant must fulfil qualification requirements as stated in Article 62 of the 1992 Constitution which deal with the qualifications to be president of Ghana. In addition, the aspirant must be a member of a branch of the party; b= e a known and active member of the party for not less than four years; shall not be a member of any other political party; and must accept the constitution, philosophy and policies of the NDC.

Others are that the aspirant must be an active and card bearing member of the party with fully paid up membership dues; must not be facing any disciplinary action for breach of the party's Disciplinary Code and Constitution; and must not be a member of the executive committee at any level of the party at the time of picking of nomination form. There will be some 3,000 delegates at the Sunyani Congress.

The delegates would include the Founder of the Party, Leader of the Party and President of Ghana, Vice President, National Executive Committee Members, Ministers of State, Selected Regional Executives, Committee Member= s and Parliamentarians.

The rest are Municipal, Metropolitan and District Chief Executives who are members of the party, foreign branch representatives, Council of Elders and representatives from the Tertiary Education Institution Network (TIEN).