Just one week after the National Electoral Commission announced a whooping increase in nomination fees for candidates running in November’s general elections, the governing All People’s Congress party says anyone interested in being awarded a symbol to run for parliament will pay a non-refundable fee of Le 12.5 Million to the party.
Speaking to Politico, the APC Secretary General, Victor Bockarie Foh says the rationale for this is that the party will pay the Le 25 Million nomination fee announced last week by NEC. He says since it is the party that will have to pay for the presidential candidate also, such an enterprise will provide resources to pay for all the party’s candidates in all elections.
He says an Elections Fund has been established at the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank where all such payments will have to be made.
Asked whether the money will be reimbursed to an aspirant should NEC reduce or reverse its nomination fees, Foh replies “we shall cross that bridge when we get there”.
Meanwhile the Chairman of the Elections Management Committee of the main opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party, Allie Bangura has told Politico that his party will not charge any aspirant fee for women, youth and disabled party members gunning for a symbol. The party will also pay the nomination fees to NEC of such candidates.
There will also be a waiver for those able bodied men above 36 years contesting in the Northern Province, considered a stronghold of the ruling APC party. However, Bangura says other people running for parliament, mayor and council chairmanship in the party’s south-eastern stronghold will be required to pay Le 2 Million as aspirant fee while those running for council seats will pay Le 500,000.
He says the eventual candidates in these areas will also have to pay NEC’s nomination fee.
Some aspirants from both parties have expressed concern over the “too much money we are being asked to pay”.
Last week NEC announced that a presidential candidate will be required to pay Le 100 Million – up from Le 1 Million in 2007, while a parliamentary candidate will part with Le 25 Million – up from Le 250,000 five years ago. While the ruling APC has welcomed the new fees, eight opposition parties have condemned them. Some civil society groups have also expressed concern over the fees.
