Partisan appointment cycle will persist without meaningful reforms – Osae-Kwapong

CDD-Ghana Fellow Dr John Osae-Kwapong has cautioned that the practice of appointing partisan individuals to independent constitutional bodies will continue despite attempts to break the cycle through institutional reforms. Speaking on Joy News' PM Express, he noted that both the NDC and NPP have questioned such appointments, yet the practice persists as 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 stated.

This warning came in the wake of the swearing-in of two new Electoral Commission deputy chairpersons, Dr Joseph Kwaku Asamoah and Emelia Afi Agbenyo, on October 12. President John Mahama appointed them to uphold impartiality and bolster public confidence. However, the appointments followed the resignations of Dr Bossman Eric Asare and Samuel Tettey.

Dr Osae-Kwapong believes the political response to these appointments highlights a deeper institutional issue. He recounted a conversation with a partisan acquaintance who believed that whenever an opportunity arose, partisan individuals should be placed in independent constitutional bodies.

Dr Osae-Kwapong emphasized that this mindset would perpetuate the problem without meaningful reforms to curb partisan appointments. When asked if the latest development harmed the Electoral Commission's credibility, he responded that it did little to restore confidence. He pointed out that the commission is already struggling in the eyes of the public, as evidenced by Afrobarometer surveys. "I feel like this doesn't help to restore that kind of trust, that the institution itself really needs to build back up," he added.

Osae-Kwapong also drew a distinction between appointees with private partisan sympathies and those with publicly known affiliations. While the latter may generate discomfort, he expressed concern about publicly partisan figures joining an independent institution while it works to regain public trust.