Who replaces Afari-Gyan: It’s crucial to get good successor — NDP
The National Democratic Party (NDP) has said it is crucial for the nation to collectively work together to get a good chairman for the Electoral Commission.
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According to the NDP, as the current Chairman, Dr Kwadwo Afari Gyan, prepares to proceed on his statutory retirement in June, the need to engage in broad stakeholder consultation as to who succeeds him has become very imperative.
Who replaces Afari Gyan?
Already, two political parties and a political pressure group have already called on the Council of State to engage in broader stakeholder consultations in advising the President on the choice of the next chairman of the commission.
They have accordingly appealed to President John Dramani Mahama and the Council of State to ensure that the selection of a new EC boss is done, at least, in consultation with the political players.
The parties are the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), while the pressure group is Let My Vote Count Alliance (LMVCA).
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has, however, expressed the wish that “we should not turn the appointment of the new EC chair into a partisan battle where the NDC, NPP, PPP or PNC are struggling and fighting to have their favourite.”
With Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan set to reach his retiring age of 70 in June, civil society organisations and political parties have already started the debate within the public space on who takes over from him.
Article 70 (2) of the 1992 Constitution maintains: “The President shall, acting on the advice of the Council of State, appoint the Chairman, Deputy Chairmen and other members of the Electoral Commission.”
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Opinions of others
Sharing the NDP’s position on the subject in a telephone interview yesterday, the National Chairman of the NDP, Dr Josiah Aryee, said ultimately, political parties, civil society organisations and other stakeholders would have a choice and need to make an input.
He declared: “As a matter of urgency, the President, upon the advice of the members of the Council of State, must seek the opinion of other political parties, civil society organisations and other stakeholders and try to ensure that due process is followed in the appointment of the next EC boss.
“Some form of transparency is required,” he stated and told the Daily Graphic, “I do not think the process so far has been transparent.”
According to Dr Aryee, “because of the country’s political experiences, we need to be circumspect in the appointment of the next EC chair.”
Who fits bill?
On the expectation of the NDP, Dr Aryee said the next EC boss must be somebody of great stature.
Ideally, he said the next EC chair must be somebody who is not partisan, firm and fair-minded, someone we can all trust to deliver the goods.
As for the names that are doing the rounds as possible successors to Dr Afari-Gyan, the NDP national chairman described some of them as politically tainted, as such ones had been involved in the activities of government.
So far, four names are doing the rounds. They are the Chairman of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Mr Justice Senyo Dzamefe, who is also a Court of Appeal judge; the Executive Director of the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG), Dr Emmanuel Akwetey; the Deputy Chairman in charge of Operations at the EC, Mr Amadu Sulley, and Mrs Georgina Opoku Amankwa, also a Deputy Commissioner in charge of Administration at the EC.