GUIDELINES FOR THE CONDUCT OF THE ELECTIONS FOR A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE OF THE NDC PURSUANT TO ARTICLES 41 AND 42 OF THE NDC CONSTITUTION.

: Politics; 13 January 2023

These regulations are made pursuant to articles 41 and 42 of the NDC Constitution.
These regulations are designed to ensure the conduct of free, fair and transparent elections for the election of a presidential candidate for the NDC for the 2024 general elections.
The election of a presidential candidate shall be held on the Saturday, 6th May, 2023 in all the 276 constituency centers which shall be the venues (voting center’s) for the elections. The national headquarters shall also constitute an additional voting center for all delegates from external branches.
NOTICE OF ELECTIONAND OPENING OF NOMINATION
The General Secretary shall, on the authority of NEC issue Notices to all structures of the party on the opening of nominations for the election of a presidential candidate for the 2024 General Elections.
The notices shall include the time table for the process up till the Election Day.

iii. The Notice shall be issued at least 30 days before the date fixed for the elections.

PROCEDURE FOR FILLING OF NOMINATIONS i. Upon opening of nominations, Nominations forms shall be made available in the office of the General Secretary for purchase at a nonrefundable fee of ten thousand Ghana Cedis (Gh¢10,000.00) paid by bankers’ draft.
Nominations shall be opened for two (2) working days.

iii. The completed form “A” (Nomination forms) and form B (endorsement forms} shall be completed in triplicate and returned to the General Secretary of the Party on the announced date together with evidence of the payment of non-refundable filling fees of five hundred thousand Ghana Cedis (Gh¢500,000.00) via bankers’ draft.

Each contestant must be proposed by one person and seconded by five (5) persons all of whom must be members of good standing in the party in different constituencies in deferent regions.
A person qualified to propose or second a contestant shall be persons who shall be current or former constituency executive committee members, current or former regional executive committee members or current or former members of the National Executive Committee who are in good standing.

A member is in good standing when the member has paid party dues from January 2018 till December 2022.

It is the responsibility of the aspirant to confirm the status of the proposers, seconders and endorsers.
ENDORSEMENT OF CONTESTANTS.
A person qualified to endorse a contestant shall be persons who shall be current or former constituency executive committee members, current or former regional executive committee members or current or former members of the National Executive Committee who are in good standing.

Eligible contestants shall have twenty one (21) days within which to have their forms endorsed from the close of nominations.
Each prospective candidate shall be endorsed by at least one current or former constituency executive member of the party from all the 276 constituencies.

No member can propose, second or endorse more than one contestant.
QUALIFICATIONS
A person shall not be qualified to contest for the position of presidential candidate unless the person meets the requirement as provided under article 62 and 94 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.

In addition to above qualification, the Contestant must be; a. A registered member of the party for at least 10years and there must be evidence of the contestant’s contribution to the party over the period. For the avoidance of doubt evidence of contribution has to be produced. b. A member in good standing.
VETTING
There shall be established a seven-member vetting committee to ascertain the eligibility of the contestants. ii. The committee shall comprise of the following;

One representative of the council of elders

3 persons nominated by NEC, one of whom should be a woman
One representative of the legal committee.
Two (2) representatives from parliament nominated by the Minority Caucus.
Vetting shall be conducted at the party headquarters between the hours of 9.00a.m. And 5. 00p.m. on the stated date.

The vetting committee shall communicate its conclusions to each aspirant at the end of the vetting, and copy the FEC.

A contestant who is dissatisfied with the decision of Vetting Committee shall have the right of appeal in writing to the Appeals Committee of the party within 3 days and the vetting shall deal with the appeal within seven (7) days of the date of appeal.
The vetting committee shall be supported by the National Elections Committee. 9. APPEALS COMMITTEE. i. There shall be an Appeals Committee which shall receive all appeals from aggrieved contestants.
The Appeals Committee shall consist of 9 persons as follows;
2 members from the Council of Elders
2 former NEC members’
2 members of the legal committee.
A woman nominated by NEC.
2 representatives from Minority Caucus in Parliament.
10. ELECTIONS
The elections shall be organized by the Electoral Commission of Ghana in collaboration with the Elections Committee of the Party.
On Election Day, all rules governing the conduct of national elections shall apply except as otherwise provided under these guidelines or directed by NEC.
The Presidential elections shall be held alongside the Parliamentary elections between the hours of 09HRS - 16HRS on Saturday 6th May, 2023 in all the 276 constituencies and the NDC National Headquarters and the results collated in Accra at the NDC National headquarters.
If at the close of nomination, only one person files nomination as the party’s presidential candidate, that person shall be subjected to a vote out of which the person must obtain more than 50% of the valid votes cast.
Where two (2) persons file their nominations, the person who receives the greater number of votes shall be declared elected as the party’s presidential candidate.
Where the votes are equal at any ballot between the two (2) leading candidates, another ballot shall be held;
At any ballot between more than two (2) persons, the candidate who receives the greater number of votes shall be declared elected if that person receives a majority (50%plus1) of the votes cast; but if no candidate receives this majority, then the number of candidates who receive the least number of votes shall be withdrawn, this shall be followed by a run-off between the first two contestants and the contestant with a simple majority shall be declared the Party’s Presidential Candidate;
The run-off shall be repeated in the case of a tie between the two contestants until one of them obtains a simple majority;
Where there is equality of votes between candidates who receive the smallest number of votes and one of them has to be excluded from the election under sub-clause (vii), there shall be a ballot to determine which of them should be excluded.
ELECTORAL COLLEGE

The Electoral College for the election of the presidential candidate shall consist of the following:

Every Branch Executive Committee member, elected and co-opted.
Every Constituency Executive Committee member, elected and co-opted.
Every Regional Executive Committee member, elected and co-opted.
Every National Executive Committee member, elected and co-opted.
Every member of the Party’s Parliamentary Group
Fifteen (15) representatives of each external chapter including the youth organizer and the women organizer.
Five (5) representatives of the Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN) with in each region, two (2) of whom should be women.
The members of the Council of Elders at the national and regional levels.
Past Presidents and Vice Presidents who are members of the Party. x. Each Founding Member of the Party

Former Ministers and Former Deputy Ministers who are members of the Party.
Former Members of Parliament who are members of the Party

Former Presidential Staffers who are Members of the Party.
Former Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives who are members of the party.
Former Ambassadors and High Commissioner who are members of the Party.

Former Members of the Council of State who are members of the Party.

ELECTIONS COMMITTEE
There shall be an Electoral Committee of seven (7) constituted by the NEC to oversee all the necessary administrative requirements and duties relating to the elections and the committee shall liaise with the Electoral Commission for the conduct of the elections. iv. Membership shall be as follows:
Two (2) representative of Elections Directorate
Three (3) representatives nominated by NEC

One (1) representative of the Legal Committee from the immediate past Legal Committee d.

A woman nominated by NEC
CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS
The Electoral Commissions shall supervise the Presidential Primaries assisted by the Electoral Committee in all the 276 constituencies and the NDC National Headquarters as provided for in section12 of this guideline.
PROXY VOTING There shall be NO proxy voting.
CAMPAIGN AND THE CIVILITY OFTHE PROCESS.
The campaign shall be conducted in a civil manner devoid of mudslinging, political vilification, insult, acrimony and rancor.
All contestants shall have equal and unfettered access to delegates and all party structures
Any person or contestant who violates the regulations shall be subjected to disciplinary action in accordance with the party’s Constitution
All contestants shall be free to display prominently, their names, posters and other paraphernalia in all areas within the constituency.
No organ, institution, branch or structure of the Party shall issue any public or press statements in support of any of the contestants. For the avoidance of doubt, no Party Executive Member (National, Regional and Constituency) or any member of any organs of the Party should issue any public statements or make any public pronouncements which have the effect of committing the support of the whole of that organ, institution, branch or structure of the Party to any contestant.
Any person listed above who violates or breaches any part of the Code of Conduct above shall be subject to sanctions by NEC upon the recommendation of the Disciplinary Committee.