Majority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu has disclosed the Electoral Commission (EC) has received an amount of Ghc400 million out of its budget of GH¢701 million for the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections.

Addressing a press conference, the legislator and leader of government business in parliament said the Special Budget Committee will pursue the Ministry of Finance to ensure the remaining GH¢301 million is released to enable the EC to hold free and fair elections.

“GH¢701 has been released but [the amount] actually received by the Commission [is] GH¢400. The Committee will have to engage the Finance Ministry to put pressure on them, to do what is needful because, no thanks to this COVID-19 environment, let’s face it, time is certainly not on our side,” he said.

The Major Leader and MP for Suame also indicated that the responses from EC when they appeared before the Special Budget Committee were convincing.

“We were convinced and persuaded by what they said to us; that as much as they want to see how the system functions if there is any problem, they will immediately replace them so that they [EC] will have smooth conduct of the registration,” he said.

“They have done some piloting and I think they were very successful in the piloting and they related to one incident in the Western Region. They said in the Western Region, on the second day, one of the machines malfunctioned and the reason was that the Electricity system and some disconnection and so the machine couldn’t function which is why they have a back up of equipment when anything happens and immediately that machine was replaced.”

“But the manufacturers have about four technicians in the system who are teaching them (EC) how to immediately repair any of the machines that should malfunction but by and large, the others operated efficiently,” Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu added.