We’ve started paying EC volunteers – Bossman

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The Electoral Commission has said it has begun payment of the delayed allowances of temporary staff it recruited for this year’s voters’ exhibition exercise last September.

A Deputy Chairperson of the Commission, Dr Bossman Asare said the payment began last week Thursday.

The development comes on the heels of agitations by aggrieved volunteers over the delay in the payment of their allowances.

The volunteers were deployed to supervise the exhibition exercise on behalf of the Commission last September.

The volunteers, however, say they are yet to receive their allowances after four months.

Some of the election officials have placed calls to threaten the EC, DailymailGh can report.

There are fears that the officials could boycott the upcoming district level elections slated for December 17, 2019.

However, Mr Bossman Asare assured that “we started paying on Thursday… And about 10,800 people have so far been paid and I know by the close of week everybody would be paid”.

“So those who don’t receive their monies probably have a problem with their bank accounts”, he further stated.

The Election Management Body is preparing to hold the district level elections —following the cancellation of the controversial referendum.

The EC was hoping to organise three separate elections on December 17 including the referendum which sought to seek the approval of Ghanaians to amend Article 55(3) of the 1992 Constitution to allow political parties to sponsor candidates for local level elections.

But President Nana Akufo-Addo cancelled the referendum and also directed for the withdrawal of the Article 55 (3) Amendment Bill from Parliament as well as Article 243 (1) which was to allow Ghanaians to vote for their Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).

About the Assembly Elections

The District Assembly and Unit Committee elections come off on Tuesday, December 17, 2019.

On the said day, the Electoral Commission will conduct two elections consisting of Assembly Members and Unit Committee Members.

The elections of the Assembly Members and the Unit Committee Members form the critical core of the country’s decentralisation process.

They help in exercising political and administrative authority in the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, provide guidance, give direction to, and supervise the other administrative authorities in local assemblies.

By Jonathan Ofori, Daily Mail GH