Prime News Ghana

State must fund parties to curb 'do or die' politics - IEA

By Jeffrey Owusu-Mensah
Dr Ransford Gyampo
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The much lamented "do or die" nature of Ghana's politics could be curbed with adequate state support for political parties, the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has stated.

Political tensions in the country rise during election many have attributed this to the win-at-all-cost attitudes of leaders of political parties because without winning they get nothing.

But the IEA says, "if political parties know that they would be able to run their parties and match the ruling party in terms of campaign, the hostility, acrimony and desire to win elections to win at all cost that threatens our peace will also reduce. This is one of the defining features of winner-takes-all politics that the proposal for public funding of political parties is seeking to address.”

According to Senior Research Fellow of the IEA in charge of governance, Dr. Ransford Gyampo  “The unhealthy and do or die affair nature of electoral competition would, in my view, minimise drastically if would-be losers know that they would still survive in opposition after defeat".

Speaking at a media briefing on Thursday, Dr Gyampo stated that though "our 1992 constitution imposes certain duties on them. Article 55, section 3 mandates political parties to shape the political will of the people, to disseminate information on socio-economic and political ideas and to sponsor candidates for any elections to any public office other than district assemblies and lower local government units", they are made to operate purely as private organisations with virtually no state support in their establishment, maintenance and well-being"

"To be able to perform this function, they require some funding. It costs political parties a lot to exist and perform this constitutionally-imposed mandate", he added.

According to him, it costs political parties up to 100,000 cedis to run and maintain themselves in all districts of the country just for one month during off peak election season and as much as GH¢800,000 per month during election years and despite the important roles they play, it is unfortunate that they are neglected and not given any support.

“The unfortunate thing for us in Ghana is that in spite of the numerous roles that they are supposed to perform to give full meaning to multi-party democracy, political parties are the most neglected of all state institutions", he stated.