The government has endorsed the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling requiring political parties to grant all members in good standing the right to vote in the selection of parliamentary and presidential candidates. It has also backed the establishment of an independent Political Parties Regulatory Commission.
Attorney‑General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, told journalists that government accepts the Constitutional Review Committee’s recommendation to amend Article 55 of the Constitution to guarantee equal voting rights within political parties.
“The Committee recommended an amendment to Article 55 to require every registered political party to afford its members in good standing equal voting rights in the selection of its Parliamentary and Presidential candidates. The Government has accepted this recommendation,” he said.
Dr. Ayine explained that the government’s position aligns with the Supreme Court’s recent judgment in Prof. Kwabena Frimpong‑Boateng and Others v. NPP, NDC and Others, which struck down the delegate system as unconstitutional.
“Just yesterday, July 29, the Supreme Court, in the case of Prof. Frimpong Boateng and Others v NPP, NDC and Others, held that all registered members of political parties should be allowed to take part in their internal elections. Therefore, on this question, the Committee, the Government, and the Supreme Court now speak with one voice,” he said.
He added that political parties must embody the democratic principles they claim to champion.
“Political parties are the vehicles through which we choose those who govern us. They cannot themselves be governed by the few,” he said.
The Attorney‑General further announced that government has accepted in principle the Committee’s proposal to create an independent body to register and regulate political parties, taking over the Electoral Commission’s current role.
“The Committee recommended an independent body to register and regulate political parties, in place of the Electoral Commission’s current role. The Government accepts this in principle. We prefer, however, the designation Political Parties Regulatory Commission to the nomenclature of a ‘Registrar and Regulator’,” he said.
Dr. Ayine clarified that the new commission would be established through legislation, which would also address campaign financing and the proposed Democracy Fund.
“The Commission will be established through legislation, and matters such as campaign financing and the proposed Democracy Fund will be addressed in that legislation, providing the flexibility, a rapidly evolving field demands,” he said.
These announcements form part of government’s broader response to the Constitutional Review Committee’s report, which is expected to guide future constitutional and legislative reforms.
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