The Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) is advocating the establishment of an independent authority to regulate political party and campaign financing in Ghana. 

The Centre says the proposed authority will help address gaps in the existing regulatory framework and curb the growing monetisation of politics in the country. 

Joseph Oti Frimpong, Programmes Officer at CDD-Ghana, announced this during a media workshop on regulating political party financing in Ghana, organised by the Centre in Kumasi and funded by the British High Commission. 

He presented CDD-Ghana’s draft model law on political finance and the Government’s position paper on the recommendations of the Constitution Review Commission (CRC) on curbing money in politics. 

Mr Oti Frimpong said the existing legal framework largely regulated political parties but did not adequately cover candidates and electoral campaign financing. 

He said the gaps had contributed to challenges, including high campaign costs, unregulated private funding, inadequate disclosure of political financing, vote-buying, and abuse of state resources. 

The CDD-Ghana draft model law proposes the establishment of an Independent Electoral Financing and Enforcement Authority (IEFEA) to oversee political finance regulation, monitoring, enforcement, audits and disclosure. 

The proposed Authority would have powers to issue regulations, conduct investigations and audits, subpoena witnesses, impose fines and sanctions and refer cases for prosecution. 

Under the proposal, all campaign transactions would be conducted through designated campaign bank accounts, which would be subject to periodic and forensic audits. 

The Authority would also set expenditure limits for party primaries, by-elections, and general elections, taking into account factors such as geography, population, infrastructure, and the type of election. 

Mr Oti Frimpong said candidates would be required to submit financial reports detailing their campaign receipts and expenditure, with the reports published online to promote public scrutiny. 

The draft law also proposes limits on contributions, restrictions on anonymous donations above a specified threshold and measures to enhance transparency in third-party spending. 

Mr Frimpong identified the monetisation of politics, vote-buying, unregulated financing of candidates, and abuse of state resources as some of the major challenges confronting Ghana’s political financing architecture. 

The Constitution Review Commission has similarly recommended the establishment of an Independent Registrar and Regulator of Political Parties and Campaigns (IRRPC) with powers to register and regulate political parties, impose sanctions, and address issues such as vote-buying. 

The CRC also proposed restrictions on the campaign period, regulation of campaign receipts and expenditure, external audits of party and candidate funding, and sanctions for abuse of incumbency. 

The Government, however, has accepted in principle the need for an independent body but prefers a Political Parties Regulatory Commission (PPRC), to be established through ordinary legislation rather than the IRRPC proposed by the CRC. 

It has also acknowledged the need for campaign finance legislation covering expenditure caps, disclosure thresholds, and enforcement mechanisms. 

Mr Frimpong said the ongoing discussions presented an opportunity for stakeholders to close the regulatory gaps and establish a political financing system that would promote transparency, accountability and fairness in Ghana’s democratic process.