Deputy Attorney-General Justice Srem-Sai has revealed that the Attorney-General’s Department has filed legal arguments in support of a constitutional case seeking to allow all registered members of political parties to vote in internal party primaries.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Dr Srem-Sai described the case — popularly referred to as the “Anti-Delegate System (ADS)” case — as one of the most significant constitutional matters in Ghana’s Fourth Republic.
The suit was filed at the Supreme Court by renowned heart surgeon and former minister Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, politician Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, and former minister Christine Amoako-Nuamah.
The plaintiffs are being represented by activist and lawyer Oliver Barker-Vormawor.
The case challenges the delegate system currently used by political parties to elect parliamentary candidates and national executives. Under the existing arrangement, only selected delegates are permitted to vote during party primaries.
According to Dr Srem-Sai, the plaintiffs are asking the Supreme Court to rule that every registered member in good standing within a political party should have the right to participate in internal party elections.
“The three distinguished senior statespersons want the Supreme Court to declare that all registered members (in good standing) of a political party are entitled to vote in the party’s primaries,” he stated.
The Deputy Attorney-General further disclosed that the state supports the plaintiffs’ position, arguing that such a ruling could help deepen democratic governance in Ghana.
“We believe that the declaration, if made by the Supreme Court, will considerably improve our democracy in many ways. We argued in support of the Plaintiff’s case,” he added.
The delegate system has faced criticism over the years from political analysts and reform advocates, who contend that it concentrates power in the hands of a few party delegates and makes internal elections vulnerable to vote-buying, manipulation and undue influence.
