The Electoral Commission (EC) says it will not extend the deadline for the submission of Presidential nomination forms by the political parties contesting the December general elections.

Consequently, it has asked flagbearers of the parties who have picked nominations forms to return them between today and tomorrow.

Kwadwo Sarfo-Kantanka, Deputy Chairman of the EC in charge of Operations, said any candidate who failed to adhere strictly to the rules, would not be allowed to take part in the general election.

He was speaking to the Ghanaian Times in Accra yesterday, hours before the commission started receiving completed nomination forms together with tax clearance certificates and GH¢10,000 from each of the presidential candidates.

As at press time yesterday, 16 presidential candidates had picked forms to contest the elections.

They include two independent candidates namely, Mr. Jacob Osei Yeboah and Onyameba R.J. Atta-Kesson.

The candidates will contest the elections on the tickets of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), New Patriotic Party (NPP), Convention People’s Party (CPP), People’s National Convention (PNC), Progressive People’s Party (PPP) United Renaissance Party (URP) and the National Democratic Party (NDP).

Other parties are the Democratic People’s Party (DPP), Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), Ghana Freedom Party (GFP), Yes People’s Party (YPP), Independent People’s Party (IPP), United Front Party (UFP) and the New Vision Party (NVP).

The parties which did not pick the nomination forms are the Eagle Party (EP), United Ghana Movement (UGM), Ghana Democratic Republic Party (GDRP), Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RPD), National Reform Party (NRP), Ghana National Party (GNP), United Love Party (ULP) and the United Front Party (UFP).

The red, white and green colours feature in most of the party colours, with different slogans and emblems.