The Progressive People?s Party will hold its regional elections to elect parliamentary candidates to contest the December polls from the 11th to the 31st of March this year.
Speaking on Multi TV?s current affairs show, pm: EXPRESS, the Interim National Secretary of the party, Kofi Asamoah said the elections to elect Parliamentary candidates for the party will start in the Upper East region.
According to him, the party will field candidates for all 230 constituencies in the country indicating that twenty of the candidates will be women.
The PPP he noted is committed to solving the myriad of challenges confronting the nation by providing jobs, free education to the senior high level and ensuring probity and accountability in governance.
He denied suggestions when questioned by show host Nii Arday Clegg that the PPP was a breakaway party, noting the PPP was formed in the absence of a formidable third political force in the country and not a by-product of the CPP as is being suggested in some quarters.
Commenting on the party?s first national convention at the Accra Sports stadium over the weekend, Mr. Asamoah dismissed concerns that the absence of officials from the Electoral Commission at the event meant the party was not credible enough to contest the December polls.
He said the EC was invited to convention as an observer and not to play a supervisory role as mandated by law. The weekend?s convention he added was not to the elect national executives for the party but it was to make their presence known as the next political party to take over the reins of power in the country.
?Under the political party?s act, a political party makes an application to the Electoral Commission for it to be registered. Now the procedure for registration is that after you have submitted 170 plus 10 other officer?s signature to the EC, you are supposed to be given a provisional certificate that allows you to then fully organize yourself as a political party. The other thing that is remaining is the 30 day period of gazette notification that gives other people in the country an opportunity to raise objection to do with the colour of a political party or to do with name, symbols and other matters. Now that is what the PPP is waiting for. The PPP has seven days to go for it to get its final certificate from the EC? he said about the party?s eligibility.
Mr. Asamoah called for a constitutional amendment to enable the President choose more than 50 percent of his Ministers from outside parliament instead of the current provision which mandates the President to choose the majority of his Minister from parliament.
A member of the national women?s committee of the PPP, Belinda Bulley who was also on the show said the PPP was far from awareness creation.
According to her, ?the PPP is here to make a statement. The PPP is not another political party. The PPP is here to make sure that Ghanaians get the true change that they deserve.?
The PPP she also indicated is consciously trying to attract young people into its fold noting, the youth are in the majority and they can cause a change in the country.
Touting the achievements of the party?s founder, Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum, Ms. Bulley said, Dr. Ndoum stands for integrity, good governance and accountability and his contributions to the development of the youth and the country is unrivaled and it is with this same principles that he would lead the PPP into victory come December 2012.
