Implementation Process for Mmdces' Election Commences

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Hajia Alima Mahama

The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) has engaged the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) on the implementation process of the election of metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) on partisan basis.

The engagement was to take the NCCE through the processes for them to know and seek their support to carry out their mandate in educating the Ghanaian public on the issue.

The processes, which are designed in phases with activities to be implemented on annual basis, will run from 2017 to 2021 are pre-referendum, referendum and post-referendum activities.

A successful implementation of the roadmap will culminate in a referendum in September 2019, leading to the maiden MMDCEs' election by June/July 2021, and their subsequent swearing-in by August, 2021.

Hajia Alima Mahama, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development said there was the need for a change in the mode of appointing MMDCEs, which had been a deficient in democratic governance.

She referred to the Constitutional Review Committee's (CRC) report which called for a change in the manner of appointing MMDCEs in accordance with the new democratic dispensation.

Hajia Mahama also revealed that a recent Afrobarometer report (2017) by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) Ghana, said the NCCE survey and the various African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) reports showed that majority of Ghanaians were in favour of the election of MMDCEs.

"The election will promote democracy by affording local people the opportunity to choose their own leaders, giving meaning to popular participation in governance.

"This will ensure security of tenure for MMDCEs, once elected, reduce tension by MMDCEs and Members of Parliament, exclusion and 'winner takes all syndrome' by deepening democracy.

"In 2019 a bill on the election of MMDCEs will be sent to Parliament for first reading, paving the way for the referendum in September 2019, alongside the district level election.

Mrs Josephine Nkrumah NCCE chairperson said there was no time, in terms of education and dissemination of information about the election, and both institutions with immediate effect, must meet to strategise on how to start the programme.

She assured her outfit was already educating the public on the topic at every platform they found themselves.

Mrs Nkrumah, however cautioned that the commission was faced with logistical and resource challenges, but had no doubt the ministry would support the commission with some resources. -GNA

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