Panelists On Role Of Smaller Parties In 2012 Elections

Panelists on Radio Ghana's Current Affairs Programme "Focus", today were divided on the role and value of the minor political parties in shaping the processes towards December 2012 elections. The National Coordinator of the Coalition of Domestic Elections Observers, CODEO, John Larvie, was of the view that apart from having the constitutional right to exist as parties, they also play a very important lobbying role to help shape policies for national progress. He said democracy is the right for an individual to make a choice to join a political party as well as to give voice to the voiceless. A veteran Journalist and a Political Historian, Nana Essilfie Conduah, however, sees the smaller political parties as not making any significant impact judging from their performance in previous elections. To rectify this, he suggested that the Electoral Commission must be empowered to do post election audit of political parties that contested for the elections so as to know which ones should be registered. For his part, the founder and leader of the United Love Party, Raymond Akoto, in a telephone interview complained about certain actions of the Electoral Commission that according to him, do not favour the minor parties. The Progressive Peoples Party's representative, William Dorwonkpor, criticised both the New Patriotic Party, NPP and the National Democratic Congress, NDC and maintained that the minor parties are there to provide alternatives choices for the electorate.