Accra, Sept 25, GNA- A total of 25 million dollars has been budgeted for next year's general elections.

Half of the amount will come from the donor community, and the rest from the Government of Ghana, Nana Akomea, Minister of Information, announced on Thursday and said the money would also cater for any possible run-off.

Nana Akomea was speaking at the weekly press encounter, by the Ministry of Information, dubbed: "Meet the Press" in Accra.

He attributed the rise in the election budget over the 15.8 million dollars in the year 2000, and 23.4 million for the year 1996, to a number of modifications that had been introduced to enhance the integrity of the elections.

These include the addition of photo identity cards on the electoral register.

Nana Akomea stated that Government did not intend to compromise the independence of the Electoral Commission, nor enrich its friends. He denied recent media reports that the Government wanted to 'hijack' the functions of the Electoral Commission (EC) by setting up a Procurement Committee for the (EC).

He also described as unfortunate the accusation by the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the Government was compromising the independence of the EC, and also attempting to enrich "friends of the government through the award of contracts."

The NDC, Nana Akomea said, had said EC had rejected the said Government decision, implying that government would rig the elections in 2004. He said the motive for a Cabinet proviso before approving the budget was to ensure transparency for the procurement of electoral materials.

The budget request provided for the compilation of a new electoral register with photo embossment both for the new register and for the voter's card, at a cost of 113 billion cedis, the conduct of the elections itself at 100 billion, and contingency of 21 billion cedis.

The purchase of plant and equipment totalled 28 billion cedis, stationery 75 billion cedis and contract printing 48 billion cedis. The membership of the Committee was drawn from the EC, the Attorney General's Office, the Office of the National Governance Program and the Ministry of Finance.

Nana Akomea said Government did not intend to rig next year's elections and the EC had not rejected Government setting up the Procurement Committee.

"Indeed the EC recognises that procurement had nothing to with the integrity and independence of the Commission in its conduct of elections.

"They are indeed happy that we seek to deepen transparency of the procurement process, the Information Minister said.

Nana Akomea said the EC Chairman and his two Deputies met and consulted with the Chief of Staff on the procurement on September 20, 2003, after which the EC thanked Cabinet for "wanting to assist the EC to demonstrate transparency in its procurement procedures."