EC cautions political parties to stay clear of District Assembly Elections

The Electoral Commission (EC) has urged political parties to refrain from backing or promoting candidates in the upcoming District Level Elections (DLE), highlighting the prohibition outlined in Article 248, clause 2 of the
Constitution

Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, the Director of Electoral Services at the EC issued this warning during an interview classfmonline.com reports.

He emphasized that the law bars political parties from sponsoring or advocating for candidates in District Assemblies or local government elections.

He stressed the importance of these elections in grassroots democracy and participation.

Dr. Quaicoe urged political parties to let candidates campaign based on their own merits, underlining the need for parties to avoid interfering in the electoral process.

Concerns have arisen about low voter turnout on December 19, with some expressing disillusionment due to perceived community stagnation despite years of voting.

Dr. Quaicoe appealed to Ghanaians to engage in the elections and cast their votes for their chosen candidates.

Providing a background, he mentioned that DLEs occur every four years, preceding Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

He said that, since 1988, Ghana has conducted eight successive local-level elections to strengthen citizen participation.

Nominations opened in November, with candidates required to collect forms from district Electoral Commission offices.

The elections will take place in 6,272 electoral areas and 38,622 polling stations across 259 districts.

Notably, Nkoranza North and South in the Bono East regions will not hold elections, having conducted polls in April 2020, with the subsequent elections slated for 2025.

The EC's schedule for the 2023 DLEs includes receiving nominations from aspirants on November 16-17, posting the notice of poll from November 29 to December 4, and providing a platform for aspirants to campaign from December 1 to 14.

The elections are set for Tuesday, December 19, 2023.

RAD/OGB