Government's proposed MMDCE selection model risks creating one-party local governance - Governance expert

Prof. Baffour Agyemang-Duah, a former United Nations Senior Governance Adviser, cautioned on Tuesday, August, on Joy FM's Middaynews that the government's proposed model for selecting Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) could entrench one-party dominance at the local level. He argued that the proposal gives the central government excessive control and undermines the principle of allowing citizens to freely choose their local leaders. He stated, "In the present case, we are told that instead of direct elections where people can stand on their own or as independents, the government rather wants to nominate five people, including two women, then interview them and get three people to contest. The Minister for Local Government will supervise this."

Prof. Agyemang-Duah criticized the proposal, stating it departs from the long-standing call for the direct election of MMDCEs and introduces a process susceptible to partisan influence. He maintained that restricting the pool of candidates through a government-led nomination process defeats the objective of decentralisation, which is to transfer decision-making power from the centre to local communities, and weakens local democracy.