A new report by the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) has cited the two main political parties in this year’s elections, the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) for vote buying.
The third pre-election environment observation findings of CODEO covering October to mid-November, 2016, revealed that the two political parties were at the forefront of giving money to people and some women groups in some communities in the Tolon Constituency of the Northern Region.
The two political parties were also reported to be busing people to rally grounds for instance in Mampong and Kwabre East Constituencies in the Ashanti Region and Ellembele constituency in the Western Region.
The report also cites some parliamentary candidates distributing plastic chairs to some groups in some communities.
The findings also revealed politicians give money and other valuables to electorates in order to influence their vote.
For instance, on the October 14, 2016, an aspiring Member of Parliament in Sefwi Akontobra gave money to parents of some Senior High School (SHS) students and university students to settle their school fees, according to the report.
Some chiefs were also cited in the report for flouting the Constitution of the land and elections rules by actively participating in partisan politics.
According to the report, some chiefs in the Kasulyili traditional area and Nyankpala traditional area (all in the Northern region) actively engaged in partisan politics by attending functions of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and also canvassed for votes in their communities for the NDC.
Worried about the trend, the CODEO recommends that all political parties desist from acts, such as offering money and other valuables to the electorates to influence their vote.
The election monitoring organisation further recommends that the Electoral Commission and the Police to be proactive and bring to book persons or groups of persons involved in any act of vote buying, since such acts contravenes Section 33 (1) of the Representation of The People Law, 1992, PNDCL 284.
