<<Print>>

The ELECTORAL Commission (EC) does not recognise the so-called national officers of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) of Mr. Dan Lartey purported to have been elected at a national congress in Kumasi on June 7, this year. The Commission said its position on the matter was that Mr. Dan Lartey and the GCPP have not complied with the requirement that the internal organisation of all political parties must conform to democratic principles. According to a statement issued in Accra and signed by C. Owusu-Parry, its Acting Director of Public Affairs, the Commission said it has found it necessary to respond to some information put out on Radio and Television by the leader of the GCPP), Mr. Dan Laney, regarding his status and dealings with the Commission.� The Commission wishes to state categorically that it does not recognize the so-called national executive officers of the GCPP purported to have been elected at a national congress held at the Prempeh Assembly Hall in Kumasi on the 7 of June, 2008. �The position of the Commission on the matter is that Mr. Dan Lartey and the GCPP have not complied with the requirement that the internal organization of all political parties should elect constituency andregional officers at elections supervised by the Electoral Commission. The process demands that officers of political parties are democratically elected at the constituencies, which then leads to the election of regional executives before the election of national executive officers,� the statement pointed out. It said the GCPP failed to comply with the law by proceeding to hold national congress for the election of National Executive Officers without holding elections at the constituency and regional levels under the supervision of the Electoral Commission. �It is against this background that the Commission does not recognize the so-called national officers of the party elected at the said congress,� the statement said. On the status of Mr. Dan Lartey as the chosen candidate of the party, the Commission explained that it has no obligation under the law to supervise the election of candidates at political party primaries. Again, the Commission registered its abhorrence of Mr. Dan Lartey's persistent reference to a Director in the Commission as a clerk. �The Commission finds such remarks an affront on the dignity and position of the Officer, and advised Mr. Dan Lartey to desist from such references, any further�, the statement added. Meanwhile,the Commission has decried the behaviour of certain credit organizations and individuals giving financial assistance to people taking possession of the applicants' voters ID cards and using them as collateral for the loans. �The Commission wishes to remind all organizations and individuals indulging in the practice that under Section 25(1) of C.I. 12 it is an offence to be in possession of another person's voter ID card,� the statement noted. The Commission therefore requested all organizations that are in possession of such ID cards to return them to their owners or the Electoral Commission without delay. �The Commission hereby cautions these organizations and individuals that their continued retention of the cards is a breach of the law for which they may suffer the consequences,� the statement stressed.