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This is according to Abdulai Bangura, Chairman of the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC). Accompanied by AYV during his two-day un-announced investigation and familiarization tour in the provincial headquarter towns to ascertain whether political parties have office spaces, it was discovered that most political parties do not have office spaces in the areas visited.
These were some of the revelations and explanations on the ground with regards office spaces for political parties.
The unannounced exercise revealed a lot about registered political parties and how most of them do not have office spaces in most provincial headquarter towns; or the spaces they have are being used to squat and in most cases, landlords evict political parties from their properties because they cannot afford to pay.
Chairman of Political Parties Registration Commission Abdulai Bangura in an interview with AYV after the exercise said Part 3 section C of the Political Parties Act of 2002 states that Political parties as part of the registration process should provide addresses of registered offices in each provincial headquarter town and in the Western Area, which is owned or leased for at least 5 years.
Party executives from the SLPP and APC informed AYV that they are concerned about maintaining provincial offices, adding that it is clear and evident that some political parties do not follow the Act, but that these are requirements which can be settled with party subventions and funds from organizations like the UNDP.
But according to the PPRC Chairman, the commission will reach out to political parties and present its findings.
