{
  "id": 2700192,
  "title": "IDEG opposes presidential nomination of DCE candidates for election in constitutional review position paper",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/ideg-opposes-presidential-nomination-of-dce-candidates-for-election",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-22T22:18:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/ideg-opposes-presidential-nomination-of-dce-candidates-for-election-in-constitutional-review-position-paper/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) has expressed its opposition to the proposal that the President should nominate five individuals for the District Chief Executives (DCEs) elections, as outlined in the government’s position paper on the Constitutional Review Committee’s report. IDEG argues that this proposal would exclude political parties and individuals not affiliated with the government from participating in the local governance system, thereby preventing free democratic choice. According to Mr. Kwesi Jonah, a Senior Research Fellow at IDEG, DCEs should be elected directly by the people, a stance the Institute has advocated for over a decade. The government’s position paper proposes that the President nominate five individuals, with two of them being women. Three of these five nominees would then be selected after vetting by a committee that includes representatives from the Ministry of Local Government, the Public Services Commission, and the Local Government Service. These three would subsequently compete for the DCE positions. IDEG’s Mr. Jonah explained that this proposal is likely intended to prevent other political parties from contending for DCE elections, fearing that candidates from other parties may not collaborate effectively with the President. He emphasized that in a democratic system, the Chief Executive should be accountable directly to the people they govern, which can only be achieved through free and fair elections, not through presidential nominations. Mr. Jonah stressed that political parties should be empowered to choose their candidates through free processes, including primaries, rather than having candidates selected by the President. He questioned the accountability of DCEs if they were chosen by the President, questioning the nature of democracy such a system represents. He argued that appointing candidates for DCE elections could cause these officials to prioritize the appointing authority’s interests over the people's interests, which contradicts the democratic principle of free choice. IDEG insists that if people wish to control who becomes their District Chief Executives, they should vote freely for their preferred candidates without the President's interference.",
  "summary": "The Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) has said it does not support the proposal for the President to nominate five persons from whom three would contest District Chief Executives (DCEs) elections as contained in the government's position paper on the Constitutional Review Committee's report.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}