IDEG pushes for NDC, NPP consensus on election of local government executives

Dr. Emmanuel Akwetey, Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG), urged the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to build consensus on the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) before undertaking major local government reforms. He made the call at the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation's (IMCC) National Dialogue on Decentralisation and Responsive Governance in Accra on Tuesday. He stated that the longstanding disagreement between the two major political traditions over whether MMDCEs should be elected on political party lines or through non-partisan contests remained a major obstacle to durable decentralisation and responsive local governance.

The two-day dialogue, themed "Resetting Democratic Decentralisation for Accountable Public Service Delivery and Accelerated Local Development," brought together regional ministers, MMDCEs, traditional leaders, local government experts, development partners, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders. Dr. Akwetey noted that Ghana had spent decades debating local government reforms without achieving sufficient political consensus, citing the failed 2019 referendum as evidence of deep divisions. The Constitution Review Committee (CRC) had proposed replacing the presidential appointment of District Chief Executives with elections while maintaining the non-partisan character of local government elections, and also proposed qualifications for DCE candidates and a phased implementation of the reforms.