By Iddi Yire
Accra, Aug 12, GNA – The Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) says the local governance electoral process in Ghana is challenged by citizens’ apathy and the under-representation of women, persons with disability(PWDs) and the youth.
Historically voter participation in local government elections was low and it was a travesty that out of the more than 6,000 assembly members, only 460 were women in a society with more women than men.
“This issue is really troubling, and we must do something drastic about it,” Dr Kojo Asante, the Director of Programmes and Advocacy, CDD-Ghana, said at the National Stakeholders Dialogue on the Upcoming District-Level Elections (DLEs) in Accra.
The Dialogue was organised by the CDD-Ghana, in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development and the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) to raise public awareness and interest in DLEs, which had historically suffered low voter turnout.
It was to assess the local government elections in Ghana in the last two elections (2015 and 2019), focusing on the major issues that characterised and shaped the two elections (example court injunctions); the preparedness of the Electoral Commission (EC) to conduct local government elections as well as the role of the National Commission for Civil Education.
The Stakeholders Dialogue provides the opportunity for reflection on the preparedness of key institutions as the election approaches.
Dr Asante said local government elections in Ghana played a crucial role in promoting citizen participation in decision-making and compriseddistrict assembly and unit committee elections, which were to be held at least six months before or after parliamentary elections.
“The country is scheduled to hold the district level elections before the 2024 General election and one is wondering whether we really want to bring democracy to the doorstep of the people or we want to tick a box,” he asked.
“As of now, we are not sure if this October date will hold, citizens seem oblivious, except for the political parties who are busy holding their illegal primaries to informally sponsor candidates.”
“We are yet to see the platforms mounted for candidates to campaign and sell their message to the people.”
“We don’t even know whether all the Ghanaian citizens who turned 18 after the last voter registration (now estimated to be about three million) will be registered to vote with just seven weeks to go”.
Dr Asante said participants at the Dialogue would have an insight into the various challenges regarding voter turnout and the underrepresentation of women and other marginalised groups within the governance system at the local level.
Although efforts have been made to address these challenges, more needs to be done to encourage the active engagement of voters and remove the structural barriers faced by marginalized groups.
Dr Asante said with about seven weeks to the announced 3rd October date for the holding of the DLEs, the National Dialogue was timely and essential.
“For the 2023 edition, we have an added challenge to the state of stakeholder preparation towards the elections.”
He said the District Assemblies in Ghana were designed to be the highest political decision-making body at the local level.
Ghana in 1988 initiated the decentralization programme to transfer significant powers and responsibilities to the local level.
Dr Serebour Quaicoe, the Director of Electoral-Services, assured Ghanaians that the 2023 DLEs would come off this year and that the Commission would be meeting next week to come up with a tentative date and timetable.
Mr Raphael Victor Frerking, the ProgrammeManager, Governance for Inclusive Development (GovID) Programme, GIZ-Ghana, said the district assemblies’ system established a level of governance in which the aspirations and needs of the citizens found their voice.
He said by empowering the local communities to elect their representatives they were providing a powerful means for citizens toparticipate in local governance to ensure accountability.
GNA