Dr Samuel Kofi Darkwa has called for a national conversation on reforming Ghana's approach to by-elections, noting the frequent violence and high costs that accompany them.
The Political scientist suggested that in cases where an MP dies in office, the party of the deceased could be allowed to fill the seat internally through its own competitive process.
This, he argued, would ease tensions, cut costs, and reduce sympathy-driven candidacies while preserving the dignity of national mourning.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, Dr Darkwa commended the New Patriotic Party's decision to step aside in the upcoming Tamale Central by-election in honour of the late NDC MP, Dr Murtala Ibrahim Mohammed.
