Money Before Votes! – Policy Expert Reveals Why Election Campaigns Have Become So Expensive in Ghana

A policy expert has blamed Ghana’s Fourth Republic political system for the skyrocketing cost of election financing, saying the growing practice of delegates demanding cash before voting is a direct consequence of how politicians have conducted campaigns over the years.

Making an assertion during a zoom meeting on Kessben TV’s Digest show Dr. Peter Tekpeh said the increasing monetization of politics did not happen overnight but is the result of a long-standing culture of inducement by political aspirants seeking power.

Speaking on the issue of election financing, he stressed that every problem has a root cause.
“Every incident has its root cause. The political framework in our country has been different since the Fourth Republic,” he said.
According to Dr. Tekpeh, many parliamentary hopefuls have, over the years, made huge promises and offered financial incentives to delegates to secure their votes during party primaries.
“People give huge promises to pave their way to Parliament. They induce the delegates to vote for them and that has been the trend, hence the demand for money before they vote,” he explained.

He noted that delegates have now become skeptical because many elected MPs fail to honour the promises they make during campaigns.
“The delegates also realized that the MPs most often are not able to fulfill those earlier promises,” he stated.
Dr. Tekpeh argued that meaningful reforms must begin with lawmakers themselves if Ghana is to curb the growing commercialization of politics.
“If we want to sanitize the system, the parliamentarians must now sit up and reverse the situation,” he urged.

His comments come at a time when concerns over the rising cost of political campaigns continue to dominate national discussions ahead of political party primaries and future general elections, with many stakeholders calling for stronger campaign finance reforms to protect Ghana’s democracy.