By Iddi Yire, GNA
Accra, Feb. 13, GNA – The Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) says it has taken note of growing public concern over recent reports of vote buying during the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential primaries and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primary in the Ayawaso East Constituency.
In a statement, the Center said it also notes measures taken by the NDC National Executives, the Majority Caucus in Parliament, and the President in response to the Ayawaso East incident, as well as commentary from Members of Parliament, civil society organizations, the media, and citizens.
CDD-Ghana welcomed the renewed national attention on the rising monetization of Ghana’s electoral politics.
“We also acknowledge emerging reform proposals, including the Private Member’s Bill introduced by the Member of Parliament for Asante Akim North Constituency, and reform advocacy by Occupy Ghana,” the statement said.
It stressed that efforts to regulate political and campaign financing must be rooted in empirical evidence, broad stakeholder consultation, and global best practices.
The Center recalled that since 2004 it has repeatedly raised concerns about the increasing influence of money in Ghanaian politics.
High election costs, opaque fundraising practices and weak enforcement, it said, heighten corruption risks and allow wealthy actors undue influence, undermining democratic competition, representation and public trust.
CDD-Ghana noted that since 2017 it has intensified research and advocacy on political and campaign financing.
A 2018 study conducted with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) found that the cost of contesting parliamentary elections rose by 59 per cent between 2012 and 2016, with candidates spending an average of GHS 389,803 (about $85,000). A follow-up study in 2020, supported by Adam Smith International (ASI), found that campaign costs had risen sharply to as much as GHS 4 million on average, including spending on constituency work in the two years preceding primaries.
The studies further revealed that a significant portion of campaign funds came from opaque and sometimes illicit sources, including money linked to organized criminal networks.
The Center, working with Corruption Watch, also undertook investigative work generating empirical data on the role of money in parliamentary primaries, party executive elections, and abuse of incumbency during presidential elections.
These findings, it said, highlight the urgent need for comprehensive political finance reform to enhance transparency, accountability and electoral integrity.
On its ongoing reform work, CDD-Ghana said it has, since 2022, worked with a 25-member multi-stakeholder group to develop a roadmap for policy and legal reform.
The roadmap guided the drafting of a model law on political financing, reviewed by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and submitted to the Attorney-General for consideration.
With support from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the Center began consultations on the model law, engaging political parties and the private sector in 2025.
It intends to convene 10 regional fora in the coming weeks to discuss political finance reforms, including proposals from the Constitution Review Commission (CRC) and other stakeholders.
The forums aim to provide space for citizens, political actors, institutions and experts to deliberate on practical reforms capable of gaining national legitimacy and bipartisan support.
CDD-Ghana urged Members of Parliament and stakeholders to pursue a coherent and comprehensive legislative approach, working closely with the Attorney-General’s Department to tackle systemic drivers of vote buying and political corruption.
Reform options proposed include: Enactment of a standalone Political Finance Law , Amendments to the Political Parties Act, 2000 (Act 574) to strengthen disclosure, enforcement and sanctions and revisions to electoral regulations, including PNDCL 284, to cover internal party processes and ease evidential burdens for enforcement.
The Center stressed that reforms must address the broader political finance ecosystem party and candidate financing, expenditure limits, third-party financing, disclosure rules, abuse of incumbency and enforcement capacity.
CDD-Ghana reaffirmed its commitment to working with Government, Parliament, political parties, citizens and other stakeholders to advance an evidence-based, enforceable political finance reform agenda that strengthens Ghana’s democracy and promotes inclusive development.
GNA
Edited by Lydia Kukua Asamoah