Education Minister and Member of Parliament for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu, has called for an end to what he describes as the pretence surrounding the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).
He said Ghana must confront the political realities of MMDCE elections, particularly whether candidates should contest as individuals or on political party tickets, and ensure the process is competitive and open to the public.
Speaking at the Second National Dialogue on Decentralisation and Responsive Governance, Mr Iddrisu urged stakeholders to resolve the issue as part of efforts to deepen democratic decentralisation and give citizens a direct say in choosing their MMDCEs.
“As a country, the only thing we can do to elevate decentralization to a higher height is to make elections of the MMDCEs elective and move away from the appointive principle into a competitive democratic elections open to the Ghanaian public to determine who their MCE is. That is how we can add to deepening democratic decentralization elective,” he said.
The Minister also said a previous attempt to make MMDCEs elective failed to adequately address Article 243(3) of the 1992 Constitution, which provides for the President’s power to remove District Chief Executives.
He cautioned the government against repeating that mistake, saying any new framework must clearly define the President’s powers over elected MMDCEs to avoid another constitutional deadlock.
