Delegate system skews power towards wealthy political aspirants – Prof H.K Prempeh

Professor H.K Prempeh, Executive Director of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), has criticized the delegate system utilized by Ghana's prominent political parties. Prof. Prempeh maintains that this system disproportionately concentrates power among affluent political candidates, marginalizing younger individuals, women, and other party members who lack financial means.

During an interview on Woezor TV, he discussed the Supreme Court's ruling on the constitutionality of political parties' delegate systems, noting that concerns about the delegate model existed prior to the decision and primarily focused on its effects on internal party democracy and corruption.

The delegate system, according to Prof. Prempeh, has created practical issues by rendering internal elections vulnerable to financial influence. He explained that by restricting the number of individuals who can select party candidates, the delegate system has inadvertently skewed power towards those with greater financial resources.

This has created significant barriers for young professionals, women, youth, and others who find it challenging to accumulate sufficient campaign funds. Consequently, the system has fostered an environment conducive to vote-buying and corruption, as delegates are relatively few and thus more susceptible to being swayed by financial inducements.

Evidence collected by CDD-Ghana through its observation of party primaries, complemented by widely reported instances during internal elections, substantiates Prof. Prempeh's claims. He observed delegates being offered cash, commodities, and other incentives from candidates aiming to secure their votes. Prof. Prempeh emphasized that such practices would be nearly impossible under an open primary system, where it would be impractical to bribe the entire membership of a political party nationwide.

He firmly argued that the delegate system not only undermines internal democracy but also perpetuates negative consequences that hinder Ghana's democratic development by fostering corruption and reinforcing the influence of wealth in politics.