By Christopher Arko, GNA
Accra, Oct. 3, GNA – Mr Douglas Quartey, a development practitioner, has called on Ghana to settle the longstanding debate over partisan and non-partisan local governance by allowing citizens to decide the issue through the proposed 2027 constitutional referendum.
He argued that after 34 years of operating a non-partisan local governance system, it was time for the country to confront the realities on the ground and make a definitive decision as part of efforts to deepen decentralisation and strengthen local governance.
Mr Quartey made the call at a Citizens’ Forum organised by the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG), in partnership with Oxfam on the theme, “Constitutional Reform and Democratic Decentralisation in Ghana: The Way Forward for Local Governance.”
He urged the Government to consider proposals put forward by policy and governance think tanks, including IDEG, to amend Article 55(3) of the 1992 Constitution as part of the proposed constitutional reform process.
Mr Quartey said the debate over partisan participation in local governance dates back to discussions leading to the adoption of the 1992 Constitution. He noted that the Consultative Assembly was unable to reach a consensus on whether political parties should participate in District Assembly elections and therefore retained the local governance structure introduced during the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) era, under which political parties were barred from local elections.
He referenced the 2012 Constitution Review Commission, chaired by Professor Albert Fiadzo, which recommended that Parliament, considering prevailing circumstances and public opinion, should in the future amend Article 248 of the Constitution to permit political party participation in local governance.
Mr Quartey said the proposed 2027 referendum presented a unique opportunity for citizens, rather than political actors alone, to make a sovereign decision on whether political parties should formally participate in district-level elections.
He maintained that public opinion had shifted significantly on the matter and cited findings from the 2024 Afrobarometer survey, which showed that 47.6 per cent of respondents supported allowing candidates in district assembly elections to contest on political party platforms, while 43.5 per cent disagreed.
Against that backdrop, he argued that the issue should no longer remain solely in the hands of politicians and policymakers.
“The time has come for Ghanaians themselves to decide the future direction of local governance,” he said, urging that the question of political party participation in District Assembly elections be included in the proposed 2027 referendum.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe