Government Reconsiders MMDCEs Election Legal Reforms – Dan Botwe Reveals

The Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation, and Rural Development has directed the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS) to facilitate meetings with relevant stakeholders to foster consensus on the election of Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies Chief Executives (MMDCEs).

Mr. Daniel Kwaku Botwe acknowledged that the legal reforms required to enable the election of MMDCEs remained an unfinished agenda of the Government. He emphasized that the meetings with stakeholders would help gauge their perspectives on significant constitutional reforms.

During the 6th Congregation Ceremony of the ILGS in Madina, Accra, Mr. Botwe informed journalists that the outcomes of these meetings would be submitted to the President for consideration.

“We have met IDEG and CDD so, we are tasking the academic wing of the Ministry (ILGS) to start these breakfast meetings and talk to all stakeholders whether we can narrow down on where we differ and see whether there is agreement,” he said.

“The position of my Party (New Patriotic Party) is that it should be partisan, but we will still want to reach a broader consensus. If it is the case that it should be partisan then the amendments must take place,” Mr Botwe said.

The Minister elaborated on the contentious issue of whether local-level elections should be partisan. He stated that the consultations would contribute to determining the nature of necessary legal reforms. While his party, the New Patriotic Party, favors partisan elections, Mr. Botwe expressed a willingness to reach a broader consensus.

Article 55(3) of the 1992 Constitution currently prohibits the involvement of political parties in local governance. An attempted referendum in 2019 to amend this clause was halted due to the lack of agreement among key stakeholders.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced in 2021 the Government’s intention to revisit the referendum once consensus on the matter is reached.

The ILGS, established in 1999 under the Ministry of Local Government, is tasked with providing capacity-building programs for the Local Government sector, conducting research in local governance, and offering consultancy and advisory services.

At the recent Congregation, 111 students graduated from various postgraduate programs at the ILGS. The Director of ILGS, Professor Nicholas Awortwi, appealed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to grant the Institute a Presidential Charter, allowing it to award its own degrees independently of its current affiliation with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

Prof Awortwi highlighted that this autonomy would enhance the Institute’s progress without compromising its core mandate.

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