OccupyGhana Drafts Bill to Criminalise Vote-buying in Primaries

Pressure group OccupyGhana has drafted a bill to criminalise misconduct in and surrounding internal political parties, particularly vote-buying.

Copies of the bill published online have been submitted to Mahama Ayariga, the Majority Leader and Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, the Minority Leader in Parliament.

The bill proposes simultaneous amendments to the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), the Representation of the People Act, 1992 (PNDCL 284), the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 969), and the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019 (Act 999).

In a statement, it highlighted the exclusion of primaries and the election of party executives from the definition of ‘public elections’ in section 3(5) of Act 29.

This, it affirmed, had created a permissive space for vote buying, inducements, intimidation and related malpractices to flourish at the very foundation of our democratic system.

Meanwhile, it argued that internal party elections are not private matters.

“They determine who leads political parties at every level and, critically, who ultimately presents themselves to the Ghanaian electorate as candidates for public office. When corruption takes root at this formative stage, the integrity of national elections is compromised even before the public casts a single ballot.”

According to OccupyGhana, the draft Bill addresses the defect by expanding the definition of ‘public elections’ to include internal political party elections, thereby subjecting electoral offences committed in those contexts to the same criminal sanctions applicable to national and local government elections.

The bill also proposes to vest primary prosecutorial authority in the Office of the Special Prosecutor to ensure independence and credibility in enforcement.

The group wants the leaders of the Parliamentary Majority and Parliamentary Minority to jointly sponsor this Bill as a Private Members’ Bill.

“A united initiative from all the sides of the House would send a clear and powerful message that the protection of Ghana’s democracy rises above party interest.”

Story by Hajara Fuseini

Click to read more: https://opemsuo.com/author/hajara-fuseini/