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Participants in the 70th New Year School (ANYS) voted "YES" for the election of MMDCEs
A mock referendum held at the closing ceremony on the participants of the 70th New Year School (ANYS) resulted in a crushing vote vote in favor of the election of municipal, metropolitan and district directors (MMDCE ).
The simulated referendum aimed to gauge the views of participants on the issue of the election of MMDCEs after discussions on the subject. About 88% of them voted "yes" to the question of whether Article 55 (3) of the Constitution, which prohibits partisan politics at the local level should be amended to allow for the "change". election of local authorities on a partisan basis; 26% voted "no" with one canceled ballot.
The vote took place after an open forum on the theme "Decentralization: Challenges and Prospects", in which the Deputy Minister of Local Administration and Rural Development, Mr OB Amoah, partly moderated and partly participated. allowing participants to take the government's policy of electing MMDCEs to make them more accountable to the people, among other benefits.
He added that for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the pledge had been taken during the campaign and was currently underway.
Mr. Amoah thanked the participants for being part of the forum and tasked them with sensitizing people in their communities and workplaces to what they had learned, so that the process went smoothly during the course of the meeting. year in the referendum.
Amoah said the doors of the ministry were always open for new commitments on the issue as the vision of making decentralization a continuous process requiring the collaborative efforts of all.
Dr. Eric Oduro Osae, Dean of Studies and Research at the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS), also said that the election of MMDCE would ensure the safety of the position, without any interference by the person responsible for the nomination, while the people could use the provisions of the law to transfer a non-performing MMDCE.
He added that the power given to citizens under the new exemption was to make the MMDCE accountable to them, which would lead to real decentralization.
Mr. Osae explained that the referendum to be held during the year was to amend article 55 (3) of the 1992 Constitution, which prohibits partisan politics in local elections. so that the MMDCEs are elected in a partisan way.
"Ladies and gentlemen, let's seize the opportunity with both hands and vote yes," he said.
Dr. Nana Ato Arthur, head of the local government department, said decentralization was essentially development-oriented.
He added that the election of MMDCE would minimize the winner's syndrome in the country's political life, as several people would be elected locally, who might not belong to the same party as the president and vice versa. .
He said it would expand power and influence and strengthen democracy in Ghana.
Participants sought clarification on groups generally excluded from politics, such as women, with the new vision of the election of MMDCEs, among several other issues.
In his closing remarks, the Deputy Chief Executive and Dean of the School of Continuing Education and Distance Learning Professor Michael Tagoe of the University of Ghana said that the school would ensure the liaising with all partners to ensure that proposals are considered during the year. .
He added that they would also be liaising with the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) to sensitize all citizens to the imminent referendum.
In total, about 450 participants attended the 70th edition of ANYS, based on statistics generated by the organizers, with 315 people in good standing and registered.
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