Five political parties, currently listed with the Registry of Political Parties, have been deregistered as associations by the Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) due to non-compliance of requirements.
Members of these political parties face the consequence of contesting the forthcoming elections as independent candidates.
Registrar of Political Parties, Dr Alphonse Gelu, said: “The current organic law states that you have to register first as an association and then you come and register as a political party”.
In a press conference yesterday, he said the office of the registry of political parties has discovered that 5 out of the 34 registered parties have been de-registered. This poses serious impacts on the preparations for the parties concerned.
Five of these parties will be announced in due course. It was also noted that 3 parties have a reasonable number of members in the current government.
The registrar will be looking at the possibility of allowing these parties to re-register with IPA and the Registry of Political Parties.
He said the concerned political parties must explain and show cause before a decision will be made. Failure to comply will see the party members contesting as independent candidates in the 2017 national elections, or join other parties.
Gelu said it is the parties’ responsibility to check their status with the IPA.
Just 8 months away from the elections, the registry of political parties is adamant in ensuring everything is in order.