One year is enough to replace delegates system with one-member-one-vote – Asiedu Nketia

Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the NDC National Chairman, has stated that the party can transition to a one-member-one-vote system for internal elections within the one-year timeframe mandated by the Supreme Court. The Court recently ruled that Ghana's current delegate system for political parties is unconstitutional, requiring a change to a "one member, one vote" model.

The court has given political parties a year to implement this directive. Nketia believes that a credible membership register is a prerequisite for conducting such elections. He explained that while the delegate system required fewer than 400,000 ballot papers, the new system would need between one million to two million ballot papers, leading to significantly higher costs.

Nketia recalled the NDC's previous attempt to implement a similar system in 2014, which cost over 14 million cedis. He proposed that the state should cover the expenses for the Electoral Commission to conduct party elections free of charge. Nketia reiterated his call for the state to fund the Electoral Commission to run party elections, citing the high costs involved.

He also suggested that an office for the regulation of political parties could be established to ensure compliance with party requirements. Despite the challenges, Nketia is confident that the NDC can meet the deadline, drawing from their experience with the 2014 pilot.