Political party financing in Ghana remains a major issue of concern in recent years, with the cost of election campaigns escalating to unprecedented levels. According to a 2018 study by CDD-Ghana, the average cost of running for parliament in 2016 was $85,000, and this figure has continued to rise with candidates in the 2020 elections spending between $120,000 and $240,000.
The high cost of campaigning creates a situation where candidates are forced to seek illicit sources of funding and political parties are compelled to rely on wealthy financiers to meet their financial obligations. This practice, political party financing is a main source of political corruption.
By-Election
In the recent By-elections held in both Kumawu and Assin North, it’s clear that political campaigns have become excessively expensive. The high cost of political party campaigns breeds corruption for both political parties in government and out of government. The various kinds of gifts to the voters could be considered vote buying as it was observed that many voters received goodies including cash, home appliance, and building materials amongst others. The receivers believe it’s an opportunity to ‘milk’ the politician however this is an act of ‘selling off your mandate’.
It has become evident that there is a growing recognition that political party financing in Ghana requires reform to address issues of corruption and undue influence. One possible solution is to introduce state funding of political parties, with the precondition that expenditure on key items like media and logistics are capped, and an obligation on the party to be more programmatic than election-winning structures. This would encourage parties to focus on promoting gender and youth participation and improving the policy contribution of parties.
Another proposed solution is to standardize a schedule of fees for the nomination of candidates, which would allow for the early mobilization of resources and reduce the length of time for spending resources. Additionally, political parties could reduce their reliance on wealthy financiers by introducing measures to encourage the payment of dues and subscriptions by party members. This would enable party members to influence the usage of party funds and demand accountability from party leaders.
Strengthening the financial and operational regulatory framework within which political parties operate is crucial to ensure open, transparent, and accountable campaign financing. This would require placing reasonable limits on campaign spending and contributions of parties and requiring political parties to declare the sources of their campaign expenditure. The enforcement of these regulations would be the responsibility of the Electoral Commission and tax authorities.
In summary, Ghana urgently needs a wider consultation to develop realistic, effective, and efficient reforms and legal frameworks with stringent regulatory systems to address the issue of political party financing. This will help to mitigate impropriety and corruption that may exist and promote a healthy democratic system in Ghana. By adopting these measures, Ghana can create a political system that is open, transparent, and accountable to all its citizens.
Story by Ali
