Officials of the Electoral Commission (EC) were scheduled to go to Parliament yesterday to brief members on the 2016 general elections, but the much anticipated meeting could not come on. It has been rescheduled for Monday, December 14, 2015.

DAILY GUIDE‘s information is that the EC is expected to present a budget of about GH¢1.2 billion for the conduct of the 2016 general elections, even though the government had made provision for GH¢826,897,772 for the conduct of the elections, out of which GH¢4 million will come from the country’s development partners.

Parliament has to be briefed about preparations by the EC towards the 2016 polls; and the EC will have to justify its budget before the Committee of the whole of Parliament.

According to DAILY GUIDE’s sources, the amount quoted by the EC seems too huge in the face of the financial challenges being faced by the government.

It is not known whether the GH¢1.2 billion includes budget for a possible run-off. All would be known on Monday when officials of the EC appear before Parliament.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Wenchi, Prof George Gyan-Baffour, said the House would do everything possible to ensure that the EC is adequately resourced to conduct successful general election.

“We need credible elections and hope that the money that would be budgeted would be put to effective use by the EC,” he observed.

In another development, the MPs yesterday paid glowing tribute to their departed colleague, John Gyetuah, who was the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Amenfi West and died on October 12, 2015.

As a result, a by-election is to be held in the constituency on December 15, 2015.

The late John Gyetuah, who was once a minister of state, will be buried tomorrow in his hometown, Asankran Breman in the Wassa West District of the Western Region.

The majority chief whip, Alhaji Mubarak Muntaka, said their late colleague was very much concerned about the development of the country as a whole.

He said even though the late MP was a member of the executive, he was constantly asking questions in Parliament as to what the government had done in his constituency and other constituencies to improve the lot of the people.

The minority chief whip, Dan Kwaku Botwe, noted that the late MP was a dedicated public official who gave himself to parliamentary democracy.

According to him, at a point Mr Gyetuah could be seen unwell but he was always attending to business of the House before he died.