A member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) communications team, Nana Fredua Ofori-Atta, has explained the rational behind government’s decision to conduct a referendum on the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).
According to him, just like the president, MMDCE’s have to account for every policy and must be competent to serve their people at the local level.
“That is why there is a need for a referendum to ask Ghanaians whether or not they want MMDCE’s to be voted for, whether they will want political parties to appoint candidates for them to be voted for or not,” he said on Peace FM, monitored by adomonline.com.
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Mr Ofori-Atta added that the government’s decision to conduct the referendum is in accordance with the laws of the land and urged Ghanaians to participate in the initiative.
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“Before every initiative is implemented it goes through procedures. Everything the government is doing is in accordance with the laws of the country,” he said.
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The election of MMDCEs was a major campaign promise of the NPP in the run-up to the 2016 election which the government recently took steps to further the process by presenting an amendment bill to Parliament.
The bill, which seeks to amend an article of the constitution, will make it constitutional to have MMDCES elected on a partisan basis.
Its approval into law will end the current constitutional arrangement which empowers the president to appoint MMDCEs.
