National Executive Member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, has officially presented some proposals he wants the party to consider as part of efforts to restructure the party from the grassroots to the national level.
Mr Agyepong is proposing to the party to establish in each of the 275 constituencies a caucus comprising all the current and past office holders of the party in the constituency, including members of Parliament, district, metropolitan and municipal chief executives, constituency executives, electoral area coordinators, polling station executives, patrons and elders.
In his view, this proposal represents what he termed a limited enlargement of the electoral college, which he believes will ensure broader consultation and representation in key decision-making processes.
On the order of presidential primaries, the former general secretary of the NPP wants the party to organise it first as part of efforts to reduce tension associated with the numerous elections the party conducts ahead of the presidential candidate.
‘’To reduce tension associated with the numerous elections the party conducts ahead of the presidential candidate election, it is proposed that the presidential primaries be held first, following the amendment of the electoral college. This approach aligns with article 13(1) of the party’s current constitution and promotes a more logical and less contentious electoral timeline.’’
He further proposed the expulsion of Article 13(9) of the constitution, which mandates the formation of a special electoral college to trim presidential aspirants to five (5), be expunged. The current structure of this special college, comprising fewer than one thousand (1000) members, is susceptible to manipulation and undermines democratic fairness. A broader, more inclusive process is recommended,” he stated in his proposal to the party.
Speaking later in an interview with Kwabena Agyapong on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, he stated that these proposals were crucial in curing the issue of monetisation of the electoral system.
He argued that the situation in which some politicians buy votes of delegates with various items, including money, was unfortunate and harmful to our democracy.
‘’The party has gone through such a difficult period and doing things should not be business as usual. We have do things differently,’’ he stressed.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
