June 13: NPP’s guidelines for parliamentary primaries

Below is the full guidelines:

GUIDELINES AND NOTICE FOR THE ELECTION OF PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATES ON 13^TH JUNE, 2015

This is to inform Delegates, Candidates and Members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of the General Guidelines for the election of Parliamentary Candidates on 13^th June 2015.

As decided by the National Executive Committee (NEC), the National Secretariat in consultation with the Constituency Elections Committee and the Electoral Commission have agreed on the these Guidelines and Notice.

1. Conduct of Elections

The Election will be held under the general supervision of the Electoral Commission and under the general provisions of the Public Elections Regulations, 2012 C.I. 75 on 13^th June, 2015.

2. Polling Agents

• A Candidate may appoint Two (2) Polling Agents to attend at every Polling Station nationwide, but only One (1) will be engaged at any given time.
• A Candidate shall submit the names and addresses of his Polling Agents and the Polling Station to which the Agents are to be assigned, to the District Electoral Office not later than three (3) days to the election.
• Despite sub-regulation (2) above, a Candidate may change an Agent under special circumstances and appoint a new Agent.

3. Polling Hours and Admission to Polling Stations

• The Poll shall be taken between the hours of eight (8) o’clock in the morning and Three (3) in the afternoon.
• A voter who arrives at a polling station after Three (3) o’clock in the afternoon shall not be allowed to vote.

4. Identification of Voters

• A Presiding Officer may, before delivering a ballot paper to a person to vote at the election, require the person to produce.

1. a) A Voter Identification Card; or
2. b) A Party Membership Card

in order to establish that the person is the voter whose name, picture and particulars appear in the register.

5.Voting Procedure

A voter who desires to vote shall:

(1) appear in person at the polling station during polling hours to be identified and to go through the process before voting;

(2) secretly thumbprint on the ballot paper for a candidate of his or her choice;

(3) refrain from showing the thumb printed ballot paper to any person to indicate his or choice;

(4) refrain from taking a picture of the ballot paper before casting his or her vote;

(5) fold up the ballot paper after thumb printing it in secret;

(6) cast his or her vote by putting the folded ballot paper in the ballot box in the presence of the election officers and the polling agents and in full view of the general public;

(7) leave the polling station immediately after casting his or her vote.

6. Adjournment of Poll

• Where the proceedings at a Polling Station are interrupted or obstructed by flood, storm or other natural catastrophe, the Presiding Officer shall, in consultation with the Returning Officer and subject to the approval of the Commission, adjourn the proceedings to the following day.
• Where a Poll is adjourned, the hours of polling on the day to which it is adjourned shall be the same as on the original polling day.

7. Result of Election

• The Presiding Officer shall immediately after the close of poll in the presence of the Agents of the Candidates

1. a) count the ballot papers at the Polling Station;
2. b) record the total number of votes cast in favour of each Candidate as well as total number of rejected ballots;
3. c) sign a Declaration and cause the Agents to sign as to the results of the election;
4. d) announce the results of the voting at that Polling Station;
5. e) give each Agent a copy of the Declaration of Results.
6. Declaration of Election Results

• In accordance with the provisions of the Party Constitution, the Candidate who receives the highest number of valid votes cast shall be declared elected as the Parliamentary Candidate of the Party by the Electoral Commission.

9. Absence of Agent

Where an expression is used that requires, authorises or implies that an act or thing is to be done in the presence of the candidate, the non-attendance of the Candidate or the Agent of the Candidate, at the time and place, shall not invalidate the act or thing done.

10. Polling Stations

(1) The District Electoral Officer shall prescribe the Polling Station in the Constituency Capital, after consultation with the Constituency Executive, for the purpose of the election.  The Polling Station shall be the polling station for persons entitled to vote in the Constituency.

(2) For the purpose of the election, all founding members required to vote, shall vote at the Polling Station in the Constituency where the voter is located.

11. Electoral College

In line with article 6 (14)of the NPP Constitution, the Electoral College for this election shall be

1. Members of the Constituency Executive Committee
2. All Electoral Area Coordinators
3. Five (5) members of the Constituency Council of Elders
4. Any Founding Member from the Constituency who is a signatory to the registration document of the Party at the Electoral Commission.
5. Only Albums/Registers used for the last 18^th October Presidential Primaries shall be used for this election. The only additions shall be five (5) members of the Council of Elders and five (5) Patrons from the Constituency.
6. Where at the close of nomination, only one candidate filed, he/she is deemed to have been elected unopposed.

…signed…

Kwabena Agyei Agyepong

(General Secretary)