A Research Fellow at the Governance Unit of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), Professor Ransford Gyampo has expressed doubts over government’s ability to deliver on its promise of allowing Ghanaians to elect their Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) before the end of its first term.
The current administration, as part of its 2016 campaign, promised that Ghanaians will begin voting for their MMDCEs.
[contextly_sidebar id=”ldO0Hn3NJZNKIw4Fd43qWPEPB0bpGIrc”]Prof. Gyampo, however, believes this promise might not be fulfilled because, in his view, it was made without considering the realities on the ground.
“We had a President promising that in 2018 there will be election of MMDCEs and later his Deputy Minister of local government says that it may go into 2019 and today at a forum we are being told that it may go up to 2021.
“It tells you that promises were probably made without thinking about the imponderable hurdles that will have to be cleared before they materialize and it should be a lesson to all politicians. It makes it difficult for people to believe and trust politicians.”
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) in its 2016 manifesto promised to oversee the direct election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) within 24 months of election into office, to coincide with the next District Assembly elections in 2019.
The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo also promised that in 2018 government will move fully elected District Assembly representations including the choice of the District Chief Executive (DCE).
However a Local Government Minister, O.B Amoah had earlier indicated that there is the need for a referendum to be held or Article 55 (3) of the constitution amended to make the position a partisan one.
O.B Amoah stated emphatically that, the election of MMDCEs will certainly not take place in 2018.
“It is not 2018; I don’t know why this thing keeps coming up and indeed if we want to go the full hog and make the election partisan, it means we should even do a referendum to amend article 55 (3) so that we can get MMDCEs elected on multi-party basis. So we are working towards that, but certainly it is not 2018.”
“The next assembly election is September 2019, and we should be able to work towards that date. Most probably, by September 2019, we can let the referendum coincide with the assembly election so that by that time Ghanaians are voting for their assembly members, they will also be deciding that after 2019 MMDCEs should be elected on multi-party basis,” he added.
Article 55 (3) of Ghana’s constitution states that:
Subject to the provisions of this article, a political party is free to participate in shaping the political will of the people, to disseminate information on political ideas, social and economic programmes of a national character, and sponsor candidates for elections to any public office other than to District Assemblies or lower local government units.
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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana