The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has clarified that it has not yet sent invitations to any political parties or presidential candidates for the forthcoming Presidential Debates.
This clarification follows concerns raised by the Mahama 2024 Campaign, which suggested that the IEA’s announcement implied prior engagement with the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
On July 19, Joyce Mogtari, spokesperson for John Mahama, criticized the IEA, stating, “The Constitution of Ghana does not grant the IEA any authority to organize election-related activities. The fact that the IEA has not shown the decency or respect to at least inform the NDC of its plans raises serious questions about its motives.”
In response, the IEA, through a statement signed by Chairman Charles Mensa, clarified, “The IEA did not indicate that it had engaged or informed any Political Party or Presidential Candidate to participate in the Debates.”
The statement further noted that “the IEA had not engaged any Political Party or Presidential Candidate prior to its Press Release.”
It was explained that the IEA planned to follow up the press release with individual invitations to the candidates for the debates and other related activities.
The NDC also expressed concerns about the perceived lack of engagement from the IEA and allegations of favoritism towards the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
In response, the IEA emphasized that it “gives equal opportunity to all the Candidates” and rejected claims of bias, stating that it is not “fronting for any political party, in particular the NPP as is being alleged.”
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