Former Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Oquaye, says the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is working on arrangements to allow every member of the party to vote in its internal elections.
Speaking in an interview on JoyFM’s Super Morning Show on Monday, 5th October, following the party’s national delegates conference over the weekend, he said expanding participation formed part of efforts to deepen internal democracy.
“As of now, we are working towards a time when every member of the party will vote, just as the Supreme Court has recently pronounced,” he said.
“The party is seriously working on the modalities to ensure this democratic expansion.”
Prof Oquaye did not give a timeline for introducing the broader voting system or outline the specific arrangements under consideration.
He stressed that democratic principles must be reflected in how political parties conduct their internal affairs.
“In a democracy, [this] must reflect in the internal workings of our political parties,” he said.
Assessing the weekend’s conference, at which the NPP elected national officers for the next four years, Prof Oquaye expressed satisfaction with the voting process.
“Everything went very smooth. People were in the queue, I was in the queue,” he said.
He noted that senior party figures also waited their turn to vote, describing the orderly participation as an encouraging sign for democracy.
“I saw all the relevant people seriously taking their turn to cast their vote. And it’s just a joy that democracy is deepening in our country,” he stated.
The conference saw John Boadu elected as the NPP’s new National Chairman. Prof Oquaye said the party would continue working to broaden members’ participation in choosing its leadership.
