Appeal court restores 7 political parties

The Appeal Court has restored the registration of 7 political parties that were earlier deregistered by the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC).

The parties, which include the All People's Congress (APC), the Democratic People's Party (DPP), the Great Consolidated People's Party (GCPP), the National Democratic Party (NDP), the People's National Convention (PNC), the Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RPD), and the United Progressive Party (UPP), were deregistered by the EC in January 2020.

The parties had challenged their deregistration at the High Court, which ruled in their favor in August 2020. The EC then appealed the decision to the Appeal Court.

In a unanimous judgment delivered on Wednesday, the Appeal Court upheld the High Court's decision and ordered the EC to restore the registration of the 7 political parties.

The court held that the EC's decision to deregister the parties was unlawful and unconstitutional, and that the parties had not been given a fair hearing before their registration was revoked.

The restoration of the parties' registration is seen as a major victory for the parties and their supporters, who had been campaigning for their reinstatement. It is also a significant development in Ghana's political landscape, as it increases the number of registered political parties in the country.

The EC has been ordered to take immediate steps to restore the registration of the parties, including updating their records and issuing new certificates of registration.