Aspirants seeking to become constituency chairpersons of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) will pay a filing fee of GHS 5,000, the party has announced, as it rolls out detailed guidelines for its nationwide reorganisation at the constituency level.
The guidelines, issued under provisions of the party’s constitution, outline who can vote, who can contest, how conferences will be conducted and the fees attached to various executive positions at the constituency level.
Under the fee structure, the chairmanship position attracts the highest filing fee of GHS 5,000, followed by GHS 3,000 each for vice chairperson, secretary and constituency organizer. The treasurer position is pegged at GHS 1,500, while the communication officer will pay GHS 2,500. Deputies, youth and women organizer positions, and other executive roles also carry approved fees. Female aspirants and persons with disabilities will pay half of the stated filing fees.
The reorganisation process will be carried out through Constituency Conferences, which are mandated to elect constituency executives, review party activities and propose resolutions for discussion at the party’s National Congress.
Who can vote
Delegates eligible to vote at the constituency conferences include members of branch executive committees, constituency and regional executives who belong to branches in the constituency, Members of Parliament from the area, and members of the party’s national and regional councils of elders from the constituency.
Also eligible are current and former ministers and deputy ministers, former MPs, former ambassadors and high commissioners, former presidential staffers, former Council of State members, former MMDCEs, and founding members of the party who hail from the constituency and belong to a branch there.
Positions to be contested
Delegates will elect key constituency officers including the chairperson, vice chairperson, secretary, deputy secretary, treasurer, deputy treasurer, organizer and deputy organizer, communication officer and deputy, Zongo Caucus coordinator, and eight additional executive members.
However, the constituency youth organizer, deputy youth organizer, women’s organizer and deputy women’s organizer will be elected by their respective youth and women conferences.
Qualification to contest
To contest, an aspirant must be a registered voter in the constituency or show proof of transfer of votes there, and must be a party member in good standing who has paid dues from January 2021 to December 2024.
The guidelines also bar individuals who, in the 2024 general elections, contested against, endorsed or openly supported candidates other than the NDC’s presidential or parliamentary candidates from contesting for executive positions at branch, constituency, regional or national levels.
Branch executive members who wish to contest constituency positions are required to resign upon filing their nominations.
Nomination and endorsement
Nominations will open for at least five days, during which aspirants will purchase nomination forms for GHS 200. Each aspirant must secure 30 endorsers who are paid-up party members drawn from at least one-third of the branches in the constituency. No member is allowed to endorse more than one aspirant.
Vetting and appeals
A three-member vetting committee, including a representative of the regional executive committee, will vet all aspirants. Disqualified aspirants may appeal to a regional appeals committee within three days.
Voting and supervision
Elections will be conducted by the Electoral Commission under the supervision of a constituency electoral committee and a representative of the regional executive committee. Voting will be by secret ballot, with no proxy voting allowed. Delegates must present either a party membership card or voter ID card.
Where only one aspirant is successfully vetted for a position, that person will be declared elected unopposed.
The party says the reorganisation is in line with its constitutional requirements and national calendar, and is aimed at strengthening its structures from the grassroots ahead of future political activities.
Source: A1 Radio | 101.1 Mhz | Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith | Bolgatanga
