National Democratic Congress (NDC) National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia has called on the government to provide funding for political parties to conduct one-member-one-vote internal elections through the Electoral Commission (EC).

According to him, the cost of organising nationwide primaries under the system is high and could place a heavy financial burden on political parties.

His comments follow a Supreme Court directive requiring political parties to adopt a more inclusive system for selecting their candidates, with the court giving political parties one year to comply.

Speaking on PM Express on JoyNews, Mr Asiedu Nketia said the NDC spent close to GH¢14 million in 2014 when it conducted its one-member-one-vote internal elections.

He explained that the party established more than 8,000 polling stations across the country and paid for election materials as well as allowances for officials recruited by the Electoral Commission.

"The Electoral Commission didn't contribute one cedi," he said.

Mr Asiedu Nketia argued that since the one-member-one-vote system expands participation among party members, the state should consider supporting the process.

"I expect that even though the system is good, since we are being compelled to help citizens exercise their civic and democratic rights, it will serve very well if you ask the state to budget for this exercise so the Electoral Commission can conduct it free of charge," he said.

He added that the Electoral Commission's involvement would address what he described as the biggest cost component of the exercise.

"Because that will be your biggest cost line. The EC. If they can conduct it free of charge, then it will help every political party," he said.

Responding to concerns that state funding for internal party elections could encourage the creation of numerous political parties seeking public resources, Mr Asiedu Nketia backed the establishment of an office to regulate political parties.

He said the proposed body would ensure that only organisations that meet the constitutional requirements for recognition as political parties qualify for any state support.

"It is actually in the government position paper on the constitution," he said.

"Once that is done, then you have a body that will focus exclusively on making sure that before you certify a group as a political party, it satisfies all the conditions for a political party."

He said one of the requirements should be ensuring that political parties have structures in more than two-thirds of the country's districts.

Mr Asiedu Nketia said the NDC's 2014 experience demonstrated both the benefits and the financial demands of a one-member-one-vote system.

He recalled that the party opened polling booths in electoral areas across the country, with additional stations created in communities where electoral areas covered clusters of villages.

"We ended up opening more than 8,000 polling stations," he said.

He explained that the exercise was more expensive than delegate elections because of the larger number of voters and materials required.

According to him, while delegate elections require fewer than 400,000 ballot papers, a one-member-one-vote election could require between one million and two million ballot papers.

Asiedu Nketia has maintained that the NDC can meet the timeline, arguing that the party already has experience with the system.