The Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Lawyer Anthony Namoo, has cautioned Ghana against rushing reforms in political party elections, arguing that the country must balance democratic inclusion with the practical realities of its evolving political system.
His comments follow the Supreme Court’s landmark interpretation that members of political parties in good standing should be allowed to participate in the election of presidential and parliamentary candidates, a decision he believes could significantly reshape Ghana’s internal party democracy if it remains unchanged.
Lawyer Namoo said while the ruling has the potential to deepen participation by giving ordinary party members a direct role in choosing candidates, Ghana must carefully manage the transition to avoid creating systems that the country’s democratic structures may struggle to sustain.
“We must hasten slowly because our democratic culture is yet to be deeply imbued in us,” he said.
According to him, established democracies such as the United Kingdom and the United States developed their political systems over centuries, while Ghana’s democratic journey remains relatively young.
“When we mention established democracies, we are talking about the United Kingdom and even the US. They are models we have borrowed from, but they are yet to get there. We are moving too fast ahead,” he stated.
The NPP regional chairman argued that political parties in Ghana have already been making deliberate efforts to widen participation in internal elections since the country returned to constitutional rule in 1992.
He cited the NPP’s gradual expansion of its electoral college as evidence of this progress, explaining that parliamentary candidate elections have moved from a limited delegate system to a broader representation model.
“For instance, it used to be the case that every polling station would present only the polling station chairman. If your constituency had 100 polling stations, only 100 people took part in the election of parliamentary candidates. From there, it came to five. Now, as we speak, it is seven,” he explained.
He further noted that presidential primaries have also witnessed significant expansion, using Bolgatanga Central as an example where participation has increased from about 10 delegates to more than 1,200 voters.
“You cannot even recalculate the percentage increase. Political parties themselves have been doing that,” he said.
Lawyer Namoo maintained that while increasing participation is important for democratic development, reforms must be introduced gradually to allow political parties to build the necessary systems, resources and structures.
He said the Supreme Court’s decision presents an opportunity for political parties to strengthen their membership structures but warned that democratic expansion must be matched with institutional readiness.
Source: bolgafmonline.com |102.7 MHz | Moses Apiah |Bolgatanga
