Government has cut down the budget of the Electoral Commission (EC) for election 2020 by over 271 million Ghana cedis, a report by the electoral body to Parliament’s Special Budget Committee has revealed.
The EC requested a total amount of One Billion, Three Hundred and Thirty Four Million, Two Hundred and Fifty Seven Thousand, Five Hundred and Sixty Eight Ghana cedis (GH₵1,334,257,568) to enable the Commission implement a number of activities.
However, the government, through the Finance Ministry, based on its ceilings approved a total amount of One Billion and Sixty Three Million, One Hundred and Fifty Seven Thousand, Six Hundred and Twenty Nine Ghana cedis (GH₵1,063,157,629 for all the Commission’s activities for the year 2020.
“This represents a shortfall of Two Hundred and Seventy One Million, Ninety-Nine Thousand, Nine Hundred and Thirty Nine Ghana cedis (GH₵271,099,939) required to fully implement all planned activities,” the report to the Committee of Parliament stated.
The shortfall in the budget of the Electoral Commission could possibly affect its operations going into an election in which the stakes are much higher when compared to previous general elections.
Ghana will hold a general election on December 7 this year, and the Commission has outlined a number of activities before the polls.
These activities include the procurement of modernized biometric voter management solution, procurement of registration and exhibition materials, the replacement of the voters’ register and the exhibition of the voters’ register.
The rest are the nomination of Candidates, the conduct of Presidential and Parliamentary Elections as well as the gazzeting of the election results.
Meanwhile, the country’s electoral body is set to commence registration of eligible voters across the country from June 30 within thirty-eight (38) days.
Source: ghananewsonline.com.gh