High cost of contesting parliamentary elections fueling bribery and corruption in Ghana - Asiedu Nketia

According to Johnson Asiedu Nketia, National Chairman of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Ghana, the high cost of contesting parliamentary elections is leading to bribery and corruption in the country. Nketia explained that the expenses incurred from primaries to general elections far exceed the earnings from being a Member of Parliament for four years.

This has resulted in many candidates resorting to other means to recover their investments. The recent ruling by the Supreme Court to phase out the delegates system of party primaries has further increased the cost of contesting for any position. Nketia used an example to illustrate how the expenses of elections are exceeding the salary earned by MPs for four years.

He questioned where candidates could get the GHC600,000 balance if their total salary for four years is GHC400,000 and the cost of getting into Parliament is GHC1 million. Nketia concluded that the fact that lawmakers continue to contest despite these losses implies they find other ways to make up for the money, which is believed to be the root cause of bribery and corruption in the country.