The Supreme Court has declared as unconstitutional the delegate-based electoral college systems used by political parties to elect their presidential and parliamentary candidates.
Specifically, the court held that all members of a political party are entitled to vote in selecting presidential and parliamentary candidates for the general election.
A seven-member panel, presided over by the Chief Justice, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, by a 5-2 majority on Wednesday morning held that confining the vote to a narrow group of executives, officeholders and delegates, to the exclusion of the broader membership, breaches Article 55(5) of the 1992 Constitution.
The court further held that the Electoral Commission has a statutory duty to ensure that the internal activities of political parties conform with Article 55(5) of the Constitution.
The court clarified that all decisions, appointments and votes made in good faith before the judgement remain valid and will not be invalidated solely because of the ruling.
Full reasons for the judgement are to be filed by August 5, 2026.
Justice Samuel Kwame Adibu-Asiedu and Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu dissented.
