The Chairperson of Ghana’s Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa, has indicated that permitting development partners to partly fund the country’s election is wrong.
She said this when she delivered a speech at the 17th International Electoral Affairs Symposium.
She explained that when development partners help fund the elections of the country, the independence of the elections is usually compromised.
She was however of the opinion that the country is relying on donor partners because of the high cost of conducting elections in the country, saying: “Our elections are fast becoming very expensive ventures where we constantly rely on our development partners to partly fund our elections thereby compromising our independence.”
The EC Chairperson said that measures must be put in place to reduce or totally avoid Ghana’s dependence on development partners to fund its elections.
She added that since the electoral process is the cornerstone of any democracy it must be safeguarded.
“Indeed, it is the midwife that births a democracy. It provides legitimacy to our leaders and democratic institutions and therefore needs not only to be maintained but more importantly to be fortified.”
She also called for the strengthening of electoral management bodies “to ensure that citizens respect the processes that elect their leaders as being free, credible and transparent.”
She further assured Ghanaians that the Electoral Commission is committed to holding free and fair elections in 2020 stating: “It’s essential that political parties freely participate in the electoral process and crucial that the right to citizens to express their preference is protected and guaranteed.”
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