The Court of Audit called on candidates in the 1st round of the 2023 local elections to submit their financial statements for these elections before March 8, 2024. The Court of Audit said in a press release on Thursday that this reminder is intended for all candidates in the first round, held on December 24, 2023, including those who had won seats on local councils. The Court warned in this regard, that candidates who fail to file the required financial documents by the deadline are liable to the penalties provided for in Article 98 of Organic Law 2017-16. Article 98 (new) provides that "if the financial statement of a list, candidate or party is not filed in accordance with the procedures and within the deadlines set out in article 86 of this law, the Court of Audit shall impose a fine equal to three times the maximum amount of electoral funding in the relevant constituency." The candidate's financial statement includes the bank statement of the single account opened for the election campaign and a list of election expenses signed by the candidate and the financial agent. This list must be drawn up in compliance with the model made available to candidates by the Court of Audit, states the press release. The Court also asks candidates to submit a detailed list of activities and meetings organised during the local election campaign. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse Parliamentary Candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Awutu Senya East Constituency, Mrs Phillis Naa Koryoo Okunor, has urged the business community in Kasoa and the country in general to believe in the 24-hour economy proposed by the Flagbearer of the NDC because it was a game changer to their businesses and the economy. Speaking on the sidelines of an eye- screening exercise she organised for her constituents, she said the initiative was very crucial at the moment when businesses were folding up and youth unemployment rate kept increasing. According to her, the 24-hour economy would create a-three-shift working system and that would expand businesses and employ more people. She said companies would benefit immensely because it would increase productivity and generate more revenue, adding that as part of the policy, companies signed onto it were to receive incentives on tariffs among others. 'The 24-hour economy by our father, Mr John Dramani Mahama will not sideline anybody, the comp anies that will join are going to benefit a lot from it, and I know the numerous companies and industries in Kasoa and its environs will sign onto it,' Mrs Okunor noted. She urged Ghanaians to embrace it because it was a good vision, it was doable and Ghana would be better off with it. She described the President's State of the Nation (SONA) address as empty because it did not address the plight of Ghanaians. 'Some of us anticipated what he was going to say and as usual it was the same old story, just a recycle of what we already knew,' she added. Source: Ghana News Agency