Political parties receive outstanding payments

OUTSTANDING payments from 2017 for political parties were paid on Tuesday, according to Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates Commission.
Commission acting registrar Dr Emmanuel Pok said the Government was supposed to pay the amounts to political parties since 2017.
“Since 2017, our office have been under funded,” he said.
“Despite funding issues, we still managed to operate and of course run elections with the support of political party executives.
“We are not alone in this funding issues.
“The political parties were also part of this situation.
“Their tireless effort in trying to convince the heads of government finally led to the release of the funds.” Pok said the Government should prioritise budget allocation for political parties.
He said annual political party funding by the Government was a requirement to assist political parties carry out their duties in preparation for elections.
He thanked the Government for paying the outstanding amounts.
The 20 political parties who submitted their election returns received their K10,000 cheques on Tuesday.
“Those which failed to submit their election returns will not receive full payment,” he said.