Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF Ghana), is appealing to the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) to review downwards the filing fees it announced for the 2016 presidential parliamentary elections.
We are also appealing EC to either reduce substantially or waive totally, the filling fees for female candidates.
WiLDAF Ghana is concerned about the alarmingly high rate of increase in the 2016 filing fees over the 2012 ones. The 2016 filing fees as announced by the Electoral Commission are Fifty Thousand Ghana cedis (GHC50,000.00) and Ten Thousand Ghana cedis (GHC10,000.00) respectively for Presidential and Parliamentary Candidates. In percentage terms, these figures amount to about 500% and 1000% increment over the 2012 filing fees, which were GHC10, 000.00 and GHC1, 000.00 respectively.
Female candidates would most likely not be able to afford these high filing fees for many reasons. If these filing fees are enforced, they will contribute to impeding women’s effective participation and representation in the 2016 political decision making process of this country.
Promoting Gender Equality is a national agenda as alluded to in the 1992 Constitution and also in several national policy documents including the recently launched National Gender Policy. As a national body, it is expected that the Electoral Commission will promote gender responsive actions to encourage inclusive participation and better representation of women and men in this year’s general elections as its contribution to the promotion of Gender Equality.
The key pillars of Gender Equality are the enjoyment of equal rights, opportunities and conditions. Where there have been historical imbalances in the enjoyment of these constitutionally guaranteed rights, opportunities and conditions by men and women, such as relates to effective political participation and representation, it stands to reason that equitable principles, such as affirmative action, must be adopted to correct these imbalances.
Therefore, it will not be out of place for the Electoral Commission to adopt some of these equitable principles in the form of either a total waiver or at least a reduction in the filing fees particularly for female candidates.
Thank you.
Signed:
.............................................................
Programme Manager for Women’s Participation in Democratic Governance
WiLDAF Ghana
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