By Edward Acquah
Accra, July 30, GNA – Implementing the Supreme Court’s ruling abolishing political party delegate systems will pose significant financial and logistical challenges for political parties, a political scientist has said.
He said the decision could broaden internal party democracy but would require parties to mobilise substantial resources to organise nationwide primary elections involving all eligible members.
Professor Isaac Owusu-Mensah, Head of the Department of Political Science at the University of Ghana, made the observation in an interview with the Ghana News Agency following Wednesday’s Supreme Court ruling.
The Supreme Court declared the delegate system used by political parties to elect presidential and parliamentary candidates unconstitutional, holding that all registered members in good standing should be allowed to vote directly in internal elections instead of limiting participation to selected delegates.
The ruling followed a constitutional challenge to the long-standing system and is expected to require political parties to amend their constitutions and internal electoral regulations to broaden participation in future internal elections.
Prof. Owusu-Mensah said the delegate system was based on representative democracy, under which party members elected delegates at the polling station or ward level to represent them in internal decision-making.
“It is important that we understand that it is a democracy, and democracy is a system of governance where people rule on behalf of others,” he said.
Prof. Owusu-Mensah said allowing all registered members to participate in presidential and parliamentary primaries would strengthen internal party democracy if political parties had the capacity to organise such exercises.
“If the political parties can do that, that is the best, and that will be good for all of us,” he said.
Prof. Owusu-Mensah, however, questioned whether political parties, particularly those in opposition, had the financial capacity to conduct nationwide internal elections involving all eligible members.
“Democracy is expensive,” he said, adding that political parties could comply with the ruling only “on condition that they have the money to do that.”
Prof. Owusu-Mensah described implementation of the ruling as “very difficult”, saying parties already incurred substantial costs in organising polling station, constituency, regional and national internal elections.
He said extending voting rights to all eligible members in parliamentary and presidential primaries would significantly increase both the cost and complexity of internal electoral processes.
“If somebody tells you how much it costs a party to organise one national election, you’ll be marvelled,” he said.
Prof. Owusu-Mensah said political parties would nevertheless have to comply with the Supreme Court’s decision by adjusting their internal electoral processes to conform to the ruling.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Edward Acquah