Issues over Council of State elections

Concerns have been raised about the increasing nature of politicization in the election of regional representatives to the Council of State.

Section 4 of the Constitutional Instrument 1993 (CI 1) that established the election of regional representatives on the Council of State provides that “the electoral college shall comprise two representatives from each of the districts in the region nominated by the District Assemblies in the region.”

But DAILY GUIDE has uncovered what seems to be a deliberate ploy to get people to vote in the upcoming elections scheduled for the end of this month based on political considerations.

In some regions, directives have been issued for all District Chief Executives (DCEs) to become automatic members of the Electoral College that votes to determine who gets to represent the region on the Council of State.

Meanwhile, Section 3 of the same Instrument states inter alia “there shall be constituted an electoral college in every region of Ghana for the purpose of electing a regional representative to the Council of State.”

But Accra-based legal practitioner Ace Anan Ankomah, who spoke to the paper on the development, said “it is important for Ghanaians to ensure that the Council of State does not become unnecessarily partisan.”

In this regard, it would be expedient that choices are made to reflect those who would better represent the varied interest of their respective regions.