According to the NEC Director of External Relations,  Albert Massaquoi confirmed that the proposed fees were initiated by the Political Parties Liaison Committee (PPLC), a sub-committee of NEC in which political parties agreed to a method for assigning nomination fees.

“NEC recently held a meeting with political parties and it was unanimously agreed by parties, including; SLPP, APC, RUFP, PDP, CDP, PMDC and ADP, that nomination fees must be fixed using a formula that could be applied to all positions”, said the Director of External Relations.

The Director of External Relations explained that the commission had negative feedbacks from the public with regarding the fees raised in the 2012 Public Elections Act. He added that the backlashes prejudiced the commission’s work.

Albert Massaquoi said “therefore, because we want to maintain integrity and consistency among political parties to participate in the electoral process, the commission decided to a reasonable amount that would allow more participation”

Albert Massaquoi said other parameters that the commission used to draft the proposed fees were based on the minimum wage. He added that the proposed nomination fees is currently with the law makers and if enacted into law would ensure a consistent level of nomination fees for imminent  elections.

In his comments, a member of the National Elections Watch (NEW), Ngolo Katta said NEW welcomes the proposed nomination fees, owing to the fact that the previous nomination fees has always been a contending issue. “the reduction will bring on board more vulnerable groups such as the women folks, the disables, etc to participate in the country’s electoral process”, he added.