Government sets December 10 for referendum on election of MMDCEs

Government has stated that its commitment to see to a constitutional election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) is on course.

To this end, it has indicated that the Electoral Commission (EC) has set Tuesday, December 10, 2019, for a referendum for the polls.

The Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama who made the announcement at a media encounter indicated that the road map for the development of the different phases of the election of MMDCE’s is being worked on.

She explained that various stakeholders have been engaged across the country for consultations and therefore urged all Ghanaians to take part in the exercise.

”Preparations have been going on for the last two years. We have started working on the processes. The Committee also identified the need to adopt a roadmap and do sensitization and consultations. We have successfully engaged in stakeholders consultation in all parts of the country.

“The roadmap on the election of MMDCE has been designed to be implemented in four phases: Pre-Referendum Phase, Post Referendum Phase, Change Management and Capacity Building Phase. The Electoral Commision has set December 10, for the Referendum”, she stated.

The election of MMDCEs was a major campaign promise of the NPP in the run-up to the 2016 election.

The government recently took a step further in the process by presenting an amendment bill to Parliament.

This was after the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Oquaye, referred the initial Bill to the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs for consideration and report.

The bill, which seeks to amend an article of the constitution if passed, will make it constitutional to have MMDCES elected on a partisan basis.

The first Bill was to amend Article 243 (1) of the Constitution to provide for a district chief executive to be elected by universal adult suffrage within a district.

Its approval into law will end the current constitutional arrangement which empowers the President to appoint MMDCEs.

What the law says

Article 243 (1) of the 1992 Constitution stipulates that: “There shall be a District Chief Executive for every district who shall be appointed by the President with the prior approval of not less than two-thirds majority of members of the assembly present and voting at the meeting.”

After the deliberations, the committee will recommend to the House to either pass the bill into law or reject it.

Source: ghanaweb.com