Independent body to regulate political parties needed – Gyampo

A political science lecturer at the University of Ghana, has suggested an independent body to regulate political parties in the country to operate within the Political Parties Act.

This is because the Electoral Commission (EC) has not performed its functions properly and seems to be only interested in conducting elections.

Professor Ransford Gyampo, the lecturer, who made the suggestion, alleged that the Commission had always been occupied with just voters’ registration exercise and the conduct of elections since its inception.

“The EC has always been occupied with just voter registration and the conduct of elections over the years, as a result, they have not been able to prosecute their regulatory mandate of political parties effectively and efficiently,” he said.

According to him, because the EC, from 1992 up to date, had failed in regulating political parties, they were the most unregulated political institutions and stressed on the need for an independent body to regulate activities of parties.

Prof. Gyampo maintained that the EC had shown interest in only compiling voters’ register and conducting elections and it would only be needful for the state to consider engaging the services of an external body that would regulate political parties only to ensure the nation became a multi-party democratic dispensation.

“The Electoral Commission has not been able to regulate political parties to ensure the parties have branches in all our districts and have not been able to regulate political parties to ensure we are truly a multi-party democracy so the nation must hide off the regulatory function of the commission and give it to another independent body.

“This will enable it to only focus on regulating political parties to ensure they operate according to the Political Parties Act, and conduct their mandate to only what they are permitted to do and also the government must resource the National Commission for Civic Education to deliver its mandate.

“The issue of corruption and monetisation of politics can properly be tackled when the Commission is resourced to educate and sensitise the citizenry because sometimes they receive funding from the government, but it seems the funding is not enough.

“They receive funding from other donors, and this funding is not regular which can stall our fight against corruption and other social vices,” Prof. Gyampo bemoaned. –myjoyonline.com