Member of Parliament for Ahafo Ano North Constituency has urged a swift and decisive resolution to the long-standing issue of electing Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).
He emphasized the critical need to transition from the current appointment system to a more democratic, non-partisan electoral process.
Delivering a statement in Parliament on Thursday, May 29, Hon. Agyemang Prempeh stressed the inherent challenges of the current system, enshrined in Article 243, Clause (1) of the 1992 Constitution, which mandates presidential appointment of MMDCEs with assembly approval.
He argued that this practice has, over the years, come with its challenges and impeded the smooth operationalization of various district assemblies, pointing to persistent friction between MMDCEs and MPs, as well as ambiguities surrounding the loyalty and accountability of appointees, as significant drawbacks.
The MP pointed to the pervasive “winner-takes-all syndrome” in Ghanaian politics, arguing that the current appointment system exacerbates this issue at the local level. He recounted past attempts by various political authorities to address the matter, including pledges from both the NDC and NPP manifestos, all of which ultimately failed to materialize.
Hon. Agyemang Prempeh referred to President John Dramani Mahama’s 2012 promise to involve the people directly in the election of DCEs, a commitment articulated in the NDC’s 2012 manifesto.
“For four years while in Office (2013 – 2016), President Mahama made very little or no effort to see to the fulfillment of that promise,” he asserted.
He also referred to the NPP’s 2016 manifesto pledge to oversee direct MMDCE elections to coincide with the 2019 district-level elections, acknowledging the “strenuous efforts” made but regretting the “disagreements that ensued, leading to the regrettable halt of a process the Government had spent huge sums of Ghana cedis to undertake.”
While acknowledging a consensus in principle on the need for elected MMDCEs, Hon. Agyemang Prempeh pointed out the ongoing disagreement regarding the involvement of political parties.
“What we have disagreed on to date is the approach as to whether political parties’ involvement must be made legal or elections without direct political involvement. What we have failed to avert our minds to is the already subtle involvement of the political parties even in district-level elections,” he said.
He called for a renewed and decisive effort to find a lasting solution and stressed the country cannot keep nursing wounds every four years when Chief Executives are to be selected to man various districts.
He reminded President Mahama of his 2024 NDC manifesto promise to ‘strengthen local level participation and political accountability through the election of MMDCEs on a non-partisan basis by amending articles 243 and 246(b) of the 1992 Constitution.’
Hon. Agyemang Prempeh expressed optimism, citing the President’s recent inauguration of the Prof. Henry Kwasi Prempeh-led Constitution Review Committee and its focus on this matter and expressed the commitment of the Minority to see through the amendment of the said Article to benefit the country.