Former Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, has criticised the government’s proposed framework for electing Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), arguing that it falls short of delivering a genuinely non-partisan local governance system.
In a Facebook post on Friday, Korsah expressed disappointment with the proposal, which would allow political authorities to nominate five individuals, from whom three would be shortlisted to contest the election.
According to the former minister, the arrangement would preserve political party influence in the selection of MMDCEs instead of establishing an independent electoral process as many Ghanaians had expected.
He argued that permitting candidates with political backing to compete after a party-driven nomination process offers little departure from the current system, which constitutional reforms are intended to replace.
“Ghanaians had wished for a true and proper independent election without having to shortlist three party people and vote from,” Korsah wrote.
He further maintained that the proposed model does not represent meaningful reform.
“In principle and substance, it is no different from the status quo that we seek to depart from as a country,” he stated.
Korsah, who served under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, said a future NPP government would revisit the policy and introduce what he described as a more authentic system for electing MMDCEs.
“The next NPP government from 2029 would restore a true and proper concept of an election of MMDCEs in our country,” he said.
The government’s proposed model forms part of broader constitutional reform discussions aimed at changing the method of selecting Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives while balancing local democracy with effective governance. The proposal is expected to generate further public debate as the constitutional review process continues.
