The Progressive People’s Party (PPP) has taken legal action against the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) and the Attorney General for the “arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable” filing fees the Commission is charging aspirants ahead of the 2016 polls.
According to the PPP, the Commission had no legal mandate to review the filing fees of presidential and parliamentary aspirants.
The Commission on Thursday, September 8 announced a charge of GH¢50,000 as presidential filing fee and GH¢10,000 for parliamentary aspirants.
The monies will be returned to candidates who poll 25 per cent or more votes in the presidential race and 12.5 per cent or more in the parliamentary elections.
In its estimation, the PPP says it must cough up GH¢2,800,000 in order to fully participate in this year’s elections.
In a writ filed at an Accra High Court on Monday, September 19, the PPP sought among other reliefs an order directed at the EC and the AG “to desist from collecting and/or receiving the said deposit or fees for the conduct of the 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections until appropriate statutory instruments have been passed in accordance with appropriate legal regime”.
Already, most political parties have condemned the Commission for the fees.
But the EC in a statement expressed its intention to reconsider the fees. Until a final decision is made, aspirants on September 29 and 30 will pay the fees during filing of nominations.
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