Female presidential candidate for Ghana Elections

Ghana may have her first female president if Madam Akua Donkor of the Ghana Freedom Party is voted for in the 2012 elections.

If she wins, she will also be the first ever Ghanaian president incapable of speaking English. She is proficient in the Twi dialect.

That notwithstanding, 58 years old Akua Donkor believes she is the best candidate for the job and has already begun a campaign of promising.

She told Joy News electricity, water and other facilities will be provided free of charge to Ghanaians if she is voted into power.

She does not understand how Ghana with all her rich resources is unable to provide the citizens with these facilities.

Akua Donkor also assured that the Ghana, under her leadership, will process all her natural resources in the country.

She does see how her inability to speak English will become an impediment for her.

She insisted she will have interpreters who will accompany her in carrying out her official duties.

In an advanced world of technology, Madam Donkor is also banking her hopes on great technological materials capable of interpreting the twi language when she attends international conferences around the world.

The GFP flagbearer is a farmer from the Kwabre West constituency of the Ashanti Region.

The party was on Friday certified by the Electoral Commission to contest both the presidential and parliamentary elections come December 7, 2012.

Ghana's election 2012 estimated at GH¢243m

Elections 2012 is estimated to cost the nation more than 243 million Ghana Cedis. 

The electoral budget available to the GNA indicates that the Biometric Voter Registration Exercise will cost 148, 942, 378.00 Ghana cedis; the exhibition of the Provisional Register 7, 477, 966.00 Ghana cedis and the Presidential and Parliamentary elections 87,107, 961.00 Ghana cedis.
Explaining the financial estimates, the Chairman of the EC, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan,said government has already released a total of 134, 726, 083.00 Ghana cedis so far to the Commission. 


Culled from:GBC NEWS

PPP wants inclusion of all Ghanaians in national development

The Progressive People's Party (PPP) on Thursday called for the inclusion of all Ghanaians in the national development agenda to maintain unity in the country.

The PPP said: "There is too much discrimination due to unnecessary partisanship in the award of state contracts, appointments to key public service positions and the distribution of national resources.”

The request is contained in a statement signed by Mr. Kofi Asamoah-Siaw, National Secretary of the party, in reaction to President Mahama's maiden broadcast to the country on Wednesday, copied to Ghana News Agency.

The PPP said: "These are the things that militate against peace and unity in Ghana, and President John Dramani Mahama should make a personal commitment to reverse the trend in order to sustain peace and unity in our beloved country.

The statement expressed hope that President Mahama would carefully consider these issues raised by the PPP, and present to the nation policies that would consolidate peace and unity in the country.

The statement said the party would support all efforts to sustain unity and peace demonstrated by Ghanaians following the death of President John Evans Atta Mills.

It said: "The PPP wishes to state that in other jurisdictions, a Presidential address attracts an equal opportunity for other political parties and key stakeholders to share their views on the issues raised and prescribe concrete solutions to the problems at stake.

In a country where the State owned media provides extensive coverage to government’s programmes and activities and give unfair advantage to the party in power against other political parties, this presents a barrier to unity. The anomaly needs to be corrected to sustain the unity currently prevailing."

The statement said abuse of incumbency by political party in power should be avoided and called on the government to “address the issue of lack of transparency and broader consultation in decision-making.”

It said the White Paper sought to concentrate more power in the hands of the President in the selection or election of Municipal, Metropolitan and District Chief Executives against the collective wish of Ghanaians to have them elected directly without any executive interference.

The statement said giving the President great powers would not promote unity in the practical sense.

NDP receives provisional certificate

The move will enable the NDP to launch and roll out its programme for the December 2012 elections.

The party, linked to the Rawlingses has “our nation our future” as its motto.

The former first family has yet to confirm or deny any role in the formation of the new party.

Interim Chairman Dr Josiah Aryeh told Joy News’ Francis Abban shortly after he received the provisional certificate that the new party, unlike others will address the needs of the people.

He said they were going to hold a meeting to elect interim executive.

The party meanwhile is maintaining its colours of black, red, white and green, despite the little controversy over the possible clash in colours with the ruling NDC.
The move will enable the NDP to launch and roll out its programme for the December 2012 elections.
The party, linked to the Rawlingses has “our nation our future” as its motto.

The former first family has yet to confirm or deny any role in the formation of the new party.

Interim Chairman Dr Josiah Aryeh told Joy News’ Francis Abban shortly after he received the provisional certificate that the new party, unlike others will address the needs of the people.

He said they were going to hold a meeting to elect interim executive.

The party meanwhile is maintaining its colours of black, red, white and green, despite the little controversy over the possible clash in colours with the ruling NDC.
The party, linked to the Rawlingses has “our nation our future” as its motto.
The former first family has yet to confirm or deny any role in the formation of the new party.

Interim Chairman Dr Josiah Aryeh told Joy News’ Francis Abban shortly after he received the provisional certificate that the new party, unlike others will address the needs of the people.

He said they were going to hold a meeting to elect interim executive.

The party meanwhile is maintaining its colours of black, red, white and green, despite the little controversy over the possible clash in colours with the ruling NDC.
The former first family has yet to confirm or deny any role in the formation of the new party.
Interim Chairman Dr Josiah Aryeh told Joy News’ Francis Abban shortly after he received the provisional certificate that the new party, unlike others will address the needs of the people.

He said they were going to hold a meeting to elect interim executive.

The party meanwhile is maintaining its colours of black, red, white and green, despite the little controversy over the possible clash in colours with the ruling NDC.
Interim Chairman Dr Josiah Aryeh told Joy News’ Francis Abban shortly after he received the provisional certificate that the new party, unlike others will address the needs of the people.
He said they were going to hold a meeting to elect interim executive.

The party meanwhile is maintaining its colours of black, red, white and green, despite the little controversy over the possible clash in colours with the ruling NDC.
He said they were going to hold a meeting to elect interim executive.
The party meanwhile is maintaining its colours of black, red, white and green, despite the little controversy over the possible clash in colours with the ruling NDC.
The party meanwhile is maintaining its colours of black, red, white and green, despite the little controversy over the possible clash in colours with the ruling NDC.

The newly formed National Democratic Party received its provisional certificate from the Electoral Commission Wednesday.

President Mahama will not be distracted by falsehood – John Jinapor

John Jinapor, the spokesperson for President John Dramani Mahama says the president will not be distracted by falsehood being peddled by the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP). 

He was reacting to statements by the NPP to the effect that the new president and his vice had contributed to the economic failures of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC). 
Chairman of the party, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey minced no words in characterizing the president as an incompetent, indecisive leader whose track record as the head of the economic management team was nothing but a failure.
However, John Jinapor who spoke to Joy FM’s Kojo Oppong Nkrumah on the Super Morning Show Wednesday discounted the claims, saying Ghana’s economy chalked up unprecedented growth while Mr Mahama headed the economic management team.
He also described as false, the NPP’s claim that President Mahama admitted to ‘running the show’ as vice president under late President Mills’ leadership, maintaining that President Mahama was proud of what he did to complement Professor Mills’ efforts.
“We welcome that debate but the debate of falsehood, the debate of inaccuracies we will not want to be part of it,” Jinapor said. 
Admitting that government had struggled with some aspects of the economy, especially the free fall of the cedi, the president’s spokesperson noted those challenges were not peculiar to Ghana.
Regardless, he said, “We are doing whatever we can to arrest the situation. We have demonstrated sincerity, we have demonstrated commitment to duty and we are tackling it.”
The Director of Communications of the NPP, Nana Akomea who spoke on the same programme, rejected Mr Jinapor's accusations that the party peddled falsehood at its Tuesday press conference. He said all the sought to do was to make the point John Mahama and his vice “are part of the same old story of failed leadership that we have had in the last three years.”
He said the two – Mahama as vice president Kwesi Amissah-Arthur as Governor of the Bank of Ghana - had total oversight over the Ghanaian economy, yet “the biggest failure of the NDC is the economy.”
He said interest rates were high and that prices of goods and services had kept increasing despite the fact that inflation was low. All these were making “the cost of living..absolutely impossible.”
“And we (NPP) are saying that this was the same team…(whose) record is not good and you can’t run away from it.”

EC to withdraw controversial CI 73 creating new constituencies

The leadership of Parliament and the Electoral Commission (EC) have agreed to withdraw CI 73 which was to establish 45 new constituencies on account of several fatal errors on the CI.

The EC will replace the CI with an amended one.

The leadership of the House had been holding a crunch meeting to consider arguments for and against the withdrawal of the CI which was due to mature this week.

The Subsidiary Legislative Committee of Parliament had recommended the rejection of the CI, citing too many mistakes and errors in the law.

But members of the Majority maintained they wanted to see the law passed whilst steps were taken to correct the errors - a position governance watchers said was not right. 

Joy News' Sammy Darko who is in Parliament says if the amended CI is laid, it will take its natural course of maturing after 21 sitting days from the day it is laid.

Parliament is set to go on recess and the CI may only mature after the House returns from the recess.

The EC had been guarding against this development given the closeness of the December polls.

It is unclear if the replacement of the CI 73 with an amended one will affect the EC's timetable and what the implications will be.

Mahama/Amissah-Arthur are "spare tires" that must be changed - NPP

The opposition New Patriotic Party says President John Mahama and Vice President Amissah Arthur should be held responsible for what they describe as the poor state of Ghana’s economy. 

Addressing a news conference at the party’s headquarters on Tuesday, NPP Chairman Jake Obestebi Lamptey, said “John Mahama led the Economic Management Team with now Vice President, Amissah-Arthur in charge of monetary policy as governor of the Bank of Ghana; the same team that failed to deliver on the most important thing in our lives,the economy, are the same team who are in charge now”.

The NPP Chairman said President John Mahama and Vice-President Amissah-Arthur are responsible for the economic hardship that Ghanaians are suffering. 

Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey stated that the Mahama/Amissah-Arthur “uninspiring caretaker team” has nothing new to offer Ghanaians. 

He alluded to the NDC pair as “spare tires” that should be changed by Ghanaians during the upcoming general elections.