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We support election of MMDCEs on partisan basis – NALAG

The National Association of Local Authorities in Ghana (NALAG) has declared its support for the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs.)

President of NALAG, Bismark Inkoom on Eyewitness News indicated that the election of MMDCEs will promote decentralization.

Government has stated that its commitment to see to a constitutional election of MMDCEs is on course.

“On the 15th of June, NALAG went to conference and at the conference we came up with a communique and one of the issues dealt with at the conference was election of MMDCEs. Our position is that we support the election of MMDCEs on partisan basis – that has not changed.”

“At the time of the conference, our position was that election of MMDCEs should be done. We believed at a point that this was going to deepen decentralization and also increase grassroot participation at the very local level. This was the position that we hold. The bill has been raised before Parliament and so we will follow it with keen interest.”

To this end, it has indicated that the Electoral Commission (EC) has set Tuesday, December 10, 2019, for a referendum.

The Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama had ealier said the road map for the development of the different phases of the election of MMDCE’s was being worked on.

‘Election of MMDCEs long over due, amend Bill now’ – Coalition to MPs

On Monday, a group calling itself the Civil Society Organizations Coalition on the National Referendum and election of MMDCEs, (CSO-CoNaFEM) urged Parliament to expedite actions to amend Article 243 (1) of the Constitution.

The Bill, which seeks to amend an article of the constitution, if passed, will make it constitutional to have MMDCES elected on partisan basis.

This week, parliament once again debated the Bill which falls in line with a major campaign promise of the New Patriotic Party in the run-up to the 2016 election.

Source: Citinewsroom.com

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