Parliament Cuts Down EC Election Budget By GH¢400 Million

Parliament has reduced the budget of the Electoral Commission by over GH¢ 400 million due to what reports show are the austerity measures by the Finance Ministry which requires that budgetary allocation for the 2016 polls does not exceed GH¢ 800 million. 

The Electoral Commission is reported to have early on budgeted 1.1 million cedis for the general elections with GH¢ 100 million expected to be used for other administrative expenses. In the wake of the budget cuts, the EC is expected to take specific operational measures as cutting down the expected number of polling stations from 30,000 to 1000 - a decision which is likely to see longer queues and various forms of pressure during the general elections.

Meanwhile, the EC is also yet to come up with its final decision on whether or not to opt for a new voters' register ahead of the 2016 elections as it awaits final recommendations from the very committee set up to look into the various debates and propositions regarding the voters register.

Source: YEN.com.gh