The Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Anthony Namoo, has cautioned against rushing reforms to expand participation in political party elections, arguing that Ghana must balance greater democratic inclusion with the capacity of parties to implement such changes.
His comments follow a Supreme Court ruling that qualified members of political parties should be allowed to participate in the election of presidential and parliamentary candidates.
Speaking on the implications of the ruling, Mr. Namoo said broader participation could deepen internal party democracy by giving more members a direct role in choosing candidates, but cautioned that the transition should be gradual.
“We must hasten slowly because our democratic culture is yet to be deeply imbued in us,” he said.
Mr. Namoo argued that Ghana’s democratic system remains relatively young compared with established democracies such as the United Kingdom and the United States, whose political systems have developed over a longer period.
“When we mention established democracies, we are talking about the United Kingdom and even the US. They are models we have borrowed from, but they are yet to get there. We are moving too fast ahead,” he stated.
He said political parties in Ghana have already taken steps to broaden participation in internal elections since the return to constitutional rule in 1992, citing the NPP’s gradual expansion of its electoral college.
“For instance, it used to be the case that every polling station would present only the polling station chairman. If your constituency had 100 polling stations, only 100 people took part in the election of parliamentary candidates. From there, it came to five. Now, as we speak, it is seven,” he explained.
Mr. Namoo said participation in the NPP’s presidential primaries has similarly expanded over the years, citing Bolgatanga Central, where he said the number of participants had increased from about 10 delegates to more than 1,200.
“You cannot even recalculate the percentage increase. Political parties themselves have been doing that,” he said.
He maintained that while expanding participation is important to Ghana’s democratic development, reforms should be introduced gradually to allow political parties to develop the systems, resources and structures needed to manage a larger electorate.
Mr. Namoo said the Supreme Court’s decision presents an opportunity for political parties to strengthen their membership structures but argued that any expansion of internal party democracy must be matched by institutional readiness.
A1 Radio | 101.1 MHz | Moses Apiah | Bolgatanga
