Dr. Arthur Kobina Kennedy, a vocal critic and estranged member of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), has strongly condemned the party’s newly announced filing fees for presidential aspirants, describing the move as a “democratic crisis in slow motion.”
According to Dr. Kennedy, the NPP’s decision to charge GH₵600,000—comprising GH₵100,000 for nomination and GH₵500,000 to file—alongside a discretionary “development fee” set by the National Council, risks turning the major political party into a “marketplace of privilege” rather than a platform for national service.
“This is not just a pricing issue,” Dr. Kennedy cautioned. “It is, at the risk of Yaanom mercilessly insulting me again, a democratic crisis in slow motion.”
Citing Article 55(5) of the 1992 Constitution, which mandates political parties to be organised in accordance with democratic principles, Dr. Kennedy argued that exorbitant filing fees violate this constitutional requirement.
He warned that such financial barriers discourage broad participation and undermine the legitimacy of the party’s internal democratic processes.
“When the cost of entry into internal primaries becomes the equivalent of the lifetime earnings of most public servants,” he said, “the party ceases to be a platform for national service and becomes a marketplace of privilege.”
Dr. Kennedy pointed out that during the 2020 general elections, the Electoral Commission charged GH₵100,000 as the filing fee for presidential candidates contesting a nationwide election. “The NPP is now asking six times that amount (and much more if you add the D-fee) just to contest within the party,” he lamented.
“What message does that send? That democracy within the party is costlier than democracy within the republic?”
He also rejected the common defence that aspirants unable to raise such funds lack seriousness. “₵600,000 is not a test of merit, competence, or commitment. It is a test of wealth, patronage networks, or willingness to borrow from financiers—with all the moral hazards that entail.”
According to Dr. Kennedy, the current system excludes young people, women, and reform-minded candidates while entrenching the influence of the wealthy and politically connected.
He warned that this fuels transactional politics and undermines the quality of leadership available to the country.
Calling for urgent reform, Dr. Kennedy urged the NPP and all political parties to reconsider their financing structures.
He proposed a cap on nomination fees, the abolition of development fees, and the introduction of alternative eligibility mechanisms such as refundable deposits or signature thresholds.
He further called on the Electoral Commission to play a more proactive role in ensuring that political parties comply with the democratic standards outlined in the Constitution.
“Democracy must not be sold to the highest bidder,” Dr. Kennedy counselled, adding, “The country deserves better and so do the parties that claim to serve it.”
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