A Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr Kwame Asah-Asante, has urged the Electoral Commission (EC) to reassess the criteria for individuals applying to contest in presidential elections.

This comments come on the back of a total of 25 individuals filling nominations to run for president in the upcoming December 7 general elections.

According to Dr Asah-Asante, although democracy allows for such participation, the growing trend could indicate a loss of faith in traditional political party activities.

In an interview on Joy FM’s TopStory on September 13, he said; "Yes, it is democracy, but it is too huge. It gives you an indication that gradually, people are maybe losing faith in political party activities, so they want to be independent. That is a reflection of what you have seen."

He further suggested that research be conducted to understand the factors contributing to the rise in the number of candidates.

Reflecting on the historical performance of smaller parties since 1992, Dr Asah-Asante observed that none garnered more than 5% of the vote.

This, he said was worrying because although more parties were emerging, none of them offered great competition.

"It tells you that the state must take a decision and see how we can streamline this number and then have a realistic number that will truly reflect the strength of political parties or individuals within the political sphere," he added.