EC urges political parties to avoid wasting resources on monitoring electoral material transport

The Deputy Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr. Bossman Asare, has called on political parties to refrain from spending unnecessary resources on tracking vehicles transporting electoral materials across the country.

Speaking at the Graphic National Development Series in Accra on November 27, 2024, Dr. Asare noted that political parties, particularly the two major ones—NDC and NPP—have representatives in every region. 

He advised that these representatives could be informed about the specifics of the materials, including their numbers and serials, to ensure proper oversight without incurring additional costs following the vehicles.

For him, when constituency or regional representatives of the parties are communicated to, it would enable political parties to manage their resources judiciously.

However, in a lighthearted comment, Dr. Asare added, “We spend extra money to ensure integrity,” suggesting that the EC goes the extra mile to maintain public confidence in the electoral process.

Dr. Asare also dismissed the necessity of political parties physically following printed ballots to their destinations, reiterating that the EC's processes are robust enough to safeguard electoral materials.

On another note, he expressed concern over the lack of transparency regarding the funding sources of political parties.

He observed that some parties either fail to disclose their financial sources or grossly underreport their campaign budgets.

Dr Asare said it is unrealistic for a political party to declare only GH¢100,000 as its campaign budget when a single billboard costs a fortune.