General News of Thursday, 17 September 2020

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

EC engaged in electoral hooliganism – Bernard Mornah

PNC National Chairman, Bernard Mornah PNC National Chairman, Bernard Mornah

The National Chairman of the Peoples National Convention, Bernard Mornah has characterised the Electoral Commission of Ghana as being engaged in electoral hooliganism.

According to him, the decision by the EC to charge presidential and parliamentary candidates, GHC50,000 and GHC100,000 for contesting in the 2020 general elections is an act of insensitivity.

“The Electoral Commission is being insensitive and I call it electoral hooliganism. This is what you can call electoral violence on the people who are participating in the elections,” he stated in an interview on Joynews monitored by GhanaWeb on Thursday, September 17, 2020

He said the Electoral Commission by the levy imposed is redefining money to be more important than intellect when it comes to who qualifies for leadership in the country.

“The fact that I don’t have money does not mean I am not intelligent…….. that is hooliganism,” he stated.

Defending his statement, Bernard Mornah stated that contrary to constitutional provisions, the Electoral Commission by its monetary requirement is putting an impediment in the way of persons qualified to contest elections in the country.

He charged further by describing the usual imposition of money as a requirement for the filing of nomination forms as wreckless and needles on the part of the EC since the government makes budgetary allocations for all of the commission’s expenses.

“I have said it again and again that it is reckless, it is needless. It is not acceptable that you charge a fee for which you don’t use because the government of Ghana has provided the Electoral Commission with all the resources they need to embark on the 2020 elections,” he said.