The Supreme Court has declared the delegate system used by political parties to elect their presidential and parliamentary candidates unconstitutional, directing parties to adopt a more inclusive voting process within one year.

In a 5-2 majority decision, the apex court ruled that all political parties must put in place mechanisms to allow every member in good standing to participate in the election of presidential and parliamentary candidates.

The court gave political parties one year from the date of the judgment to comply with the directive.

The ruling effectively abolishes the long-standing delegate system, under which only selected delegates were permitted to vote in presidential and parliamentary primaries on behalf of the broader party membership.

The decision is expected to require political parties to amend their constitutions and internal electoral regulations to bring them into conformity with the court’s interpretation of the 1992 Constitution.

The judgment is also expected to reshape internal party democracy in Ghana by expanding participation in the selection of parliamentary and presidential candidates ahead of future elections.

Political parties will now be required to develop new electoral frameworks that enable all eligible members in good standing to vote in presidential and parliamentary primaries.

The ruling is expected to have significant implications for the country’s two major political parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), both of which have traditionally relied on delegate conferences to elect presidential candidates and select parliamentary nominees.

JKB/MA