A Local Government expert, Dr Oduro Osae, has proposed the amendment of Article 55(3) of the 1992 Constitution to allow for partisanship in the district Assembly election.
In addition, Dr Osae has said the amendment must make provisions for political parties to sponsor the elections.
He said this in an interview on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem Monday, ahead of the 2023 district level election set for Tuesday, December 19.
“Because the political parties are by law not to sponsor the district level elections, candidates are overburdened and left to their fate. So if possible, we should bit the bullet and amend Article 55(3) to allow political parties sponsor candidates to local government elections,” he proposed.
Dr Osae emphasised that, allowing the district Assembly election to be partisan will boost citizens’ interest and address issues of low voter turnout and increase participation in local governance.
“The local government is important because it is the beginning of building structures for development in Ghana for the next four years. It is not for nothing that is in the Constitution that we conduct Assembly elections before the parliamentary and presidential elections. They are the foundation for development,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission (EC) is expected to hold Tuesday’s election in 6,215 electoral areas across the 216 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
About 66,257 candidates are vying for the various Assembly and Unit Committee positions.
Amidst concerns of low voter turnout, the Minister for Local Government and Decentralisation, Dan Botwe, is targeting to achieve a 50% participation rate.
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