PPP calls for reforms in EC’s audit process of political parties

The 2020 Presidential Candidate of the Progressive People's Party (PPP), Brigette Dzogbenuku, has criticised the Electoral Commission's audit process for political parties, saying it unfairly disadvantages minority parties.

She said the commission's insistence on physical structures as offices is outdated and excludes parties that use technology to conduct meetings and engage with executives.

“A physical structure cannot be proof of meetings or engagements with your executives in the constituencies or the districts.

There's so much you can do with your phone, your Zoom meetings or your Google Meet and all that, even WhatsApp,” she said.

Change

Ms Dzorgbenuku, who was a panel member in one of the panel discussions at the just-ended Political Parties Summit in Accra last Friday in an interview with the Daily Graphic advocated alternative parameters for auditing political parties, such as the existence of executives, regular meetings and minutes of meetings.

She questioned the relevance of inspecting physical structures, noting that even major parties' offices often close after elections.

She expressed concerns that the current audit process made minority parties feel excluded, and emphasised the need for reforms that take into account the changing nature of work and communication in the digital age.

Panel discussion

During the panel discussion on the topic “Reimagining political parties of the future,” Ms Dzogbenuku emphasised the importance of leveraging technology to prove the existence and activities of political parties.

“To me, I find it quite interesting that our Electoral Commission does an audit of political party offices in districts and insists that we should have physical structures as offices.

And I tell them they are not compliant. Because we really do not need physical structures these days for offices," she said.

Technology

Ms Dzogbenuku cited the benefits of using technology for online meetings, fund-raising and content creation to buttress her point.

She noted that smaller political parties could use technology to raise funds in a clean and transparent way and engage with supporters.

Ms Dzogbenuku stressed the need for political parties to adapt to new technologies and ways of working.

“We must open ourselves up as political parties, old or young, to learn to use these tools for our benefit.

The PPP's experience with young volunteers creating online content has shown the potential of technology to engage and mobilise supporters,” she said.

The summit brought together leaders and members of various political parties to discuss the future of politics in Africa.

The summit aimed to reimagine political parties and explore new ways of working, including the use of technology to enhance party activities and engagement.

Recall

The EC in November 2022 cancelled the certificates of 17 political parties who have no regional and national presence and therefore had flouted the the regulations.