Vice Chairman of Parliament's Local Government and Rural Development Committee, Akwesi Agbeve, has rejected claims that the government has abandoned proposals to elect Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).

He insists that the new constitutional reform proposal merely modifies the selection process rather than discarding public elections.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story on Tuesday, August 4, during a discussion on the government's response to the Constitutional Review Committee's recommendations, Mr. Agbeve said suggestions that the government had departed from the committee's proposal were based on a misunderstanding of the revised model.

"First of all, government has not moved away from that. It's a matter of interpretation," he said.

He explained that while the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) recommended a system in which individuals would freely contest MMDCE positions in a non-partisan election, the government is proposing a structured process that still culminates in a public vote.

According to him, under the proposed arrangement, five prospective candidates would be nominated and subjected to screening and interviews before the list is reduced to three candidates.

Those three would then be presented to residents of the district, who would elect their preferred candidate.

"The CRC is recommending that local government elections should be done as if we are voting for assembly members, where individuals can pick forms and put themselves up for election," he said.

"However, the government is suggesting that five people will be recommended, screened and interviewed, after which three will be presented to the district for the people to select or elect the best among them."

Mr. Agbeve argued that the proposal recognises Ghana's political realities, noting that although district-level elections are officially non-partisan, political parties continue to influence the process.

"Let's be honest. We shouldn't pretend with this thing. During elections, we all know it is not partisan. On paper it is, but in practice it is not," he stated.

He said the government believes some level of oversight is necessary to ensure that local government leaders are capable of implementing national development policies effectively.

"For government policy to be implemented well at the grassroots level, I still think we need personalities who understand what the government wants to implement," he explained.

"We have not reached the level where we can completely open it up. There should be some level of intervention."