Should MMDCES be elected on partisan or non-partisan basis? 1

The debate about whether to elect Municipal, Metropolitan and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) on a partisan or non-partisan basis seems to be unending.

The January 16, 2025, issue of the Daily Graphic reported that at the 76th Annual New Year school and conference held at the University of Ghana, Legon, from January 13 – 16, 2025, panellists on the subject expressed their support for the election of MMDCEs on a partisan basis.

Contrary to the view that MMDCEs be elected on a partisan basis, it was reported in the January 18, 2025, issue of the Daily Graphic that the Executive Secretary of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG) had expressed his support for election of MMDCEs on non-partisan basis.

As a Ghanaian who has been privileged to work with the assemblies and other local government institutions for an appreciable number of years, I consider it my civic duty to express my opinion on the subject based on my personal experience with governance in various MMDAs in southern and northern Ghana.

My position on the subject is also informed by happenings in connection with Ghana’s multi-party system of governance in the fourth republic from 1993 to 2024.  

Without any hesitation, I would like to express my unwavering support for the election of MMDCEs on a non-partisan basis, devoid of the involvement of political parties.

Good governance

Those who advocate the election of MMDCEs on a partisan basis argue that by electing MMDCEs on a partisan basis, they will be more accountable to the electorate rather than the executive president since they will not be appointed by the President.

However, experience from the Fourth Republic contradicts this assertion. It must be recognised that the MMDCEs appointed by the various Presidents, from 1993 to 2024, were not loyal to the Presidents only but were equally or even more loyal to their political parties.

This is because the MMDCEs were usually appointed based on the recommendations of their political parties.

Even in situations where the presidents revoked the appointments of MMDCEs, the views of political party executives were sometimes sought before the revocation.

In some cases, the removal of MMDCEs was masterminded or demanded by political party executives and loyalists.  

The MMDCEs in the fourth republic regarded their political parties as their power base and were certain that once they had the support of their political parties, they were untouchable.

This explains why some were autocratic and cared little about good governance, transparency and accountability in their MMDAs, to the detriment of their constituents.

In the discharge of my duties as an engineer over the years, there were occasions when some MMDCEs requested or even demanded that procurement processes be manipulated to allow service providers and contractors with uncompetitive proposals and tenders to be awarded contracts because they claimed they had to satisfy their political party bigwigs who they regarded as their power base.

Members of some Municipal and District Tender Committees in the Fourth Republic were largely “rubber stamps” who did the bidding of their MMDCEs.

There were also instances when some MMDCEs, for personal or political reasons, interfered with project implementation.

Engineers and architects who wanted to ensure that projects were executed according to designs and specifications were framed as persons who were against the MMDCE’s political party.

It is worth noting that, compromised procurement and contract practices adopted in the award of contracts as a result of political interference had contributed immensely to the delivery of sub-standard infrastructure facilities in many MMDAs in the Fourth Republic.

It is highly unlikely that MMDCEs elected on a partisan basis will be truly accountable to the electorate at the expense of their political parties.

On the contrary, the election of MMDCEs on a non-partisan basis will make MMDCEs independent of unnecessary executive and political party influence.

They will then be truly answerable to the electorate, who will then constitute their power base. 

This will promote good governance, transparency, accountability and quality service delivery in our MMDAs

The writer is a Civil engineer & Local Governance Analyst.

E-mail: emmanuelk55@yahoo.com