Dr Serebour Quaicoe, Director of IT at Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC), has raised concerns about presidential aspirants’ financial readiness, questioning their ability to campaign effectively if they need help to meet the filing fees.
At a forum hosted by the Institute of Democratic Development (IDG) in Accra on August 9, Dr. Quaicoe addressed the recently announced nomination fees. He pointed out that the ability to pay these fees should measure an aspirant’s organizational capability.
“Contesting an election is not an individual issue; if you cannot afford the fees yourself, you should be able to mobilize support from your backers,” Dr Quaicoe said.
“If you are saying you want to be the president of Ghana and you cannot raise GH¢100,000 for the filing fees, how will you manage to fund your campaign?”
The EC has set the nomination fees for the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections at GH¢100,000 for male candidates, while female candidates and persons with disabilities must pay GH¢75,000.
The payment must be made via a banker’s draft addressed to the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission.
Dr. Quaicoe’s remarks underscore the expectation that prospective candidates should demonstrate their capability to mobilize resources as part of their campaign preparation.
