‘This cycle is not going to be broken any soon’ – Osae-Kwapong on partisan appointments

CDD-Ghana Fellow Dr John Osae-Kwapong stated that partisan appointments to independent constitutional bodies will continue unless substantial institutional reforms are made. During an interview on Joy News’ PM Express, he explained that both the NDC and NPP have questioned such appointments, yet they persist whenever power transitions occur.

"Both parties – NDC and NPP – have had opportunities to express a view about openly partisan persons being appointed to certain institutions, but we see this cycle being repeated, through the rotation and election turnovers," he noted. This came after President John Mahama appointed Emelia Afi Agbenyo and Dr Joseph Kwaku Asamoah as EC Deputy Chairpersons on October 12, replacing Dr Bossman Eric Asare and Samuel Tettey.

Both were tasked with upholding impartiality and the national interest. Dr Osae-Kwapong recalled a conversation with a partisan friend who suggested that packing independent constitutional bodies with partisans is the best course of action. This response highlighted why the practice continues to happen. He warned that it won't be resolved soon without meaningful institutional reforms.

Regarding the EC's credibility, Dr Osae-Kwapong asserted that the appointment did little to restore public confidence, as the institution was already struggling with public trust, as evidenced by the Afrobarometer survey. He emphasized the difference between private political sympathies and publicly displayed partisanship, pointing out that the public discomfort arises when someone associated with a party enters an institution that is already under scrutiny for its independence.

This concern was compounded by the fact that the institution was already grappling with public trust issues.