The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has rejected the government’s proposal to allow the President to nominate candidates for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executive (MMDCE) elections.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, the IEA supported the election of all MMDCEs but argued that every qualified citizen should be allowed to contest without presidential control over the selection process.

The Constitution Review Committee, chaired by Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh, proposed a phased introduction of MMDCE elections based on the financial and administrative capacity of individual districts.

The government, however, proposed that all MMDCEs should be elected from a list of five candidates nominated by the President and subsequently shortlisted by a vetting committee.

“The IEA supports the election of all MMDCEs but rejects presidential nomination of candidates,” the Institute stated.

“In the view of the IEA, all qualified citizens should be free to contest MMDCE elections in a non-partisan process,” it added.

The policy think tank maintained that the proposal would preserve presidential influence over local government leadership despite introducing elections.

“Local-level democracy will be strengthened when citizens, rather than the President, determine who may stand for election to lead in the district,” the IEA said.

President John Dramani Mahama established the Prempeh Committee in 2025 to review previous constitutional reform proposals, undertake public consultations and recommend changes to the 1992 Constitution. The committee later presented its recommendations to the President in December 2025.

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Dr Dominic Ayine subsequently inaugurated an 11-member Constitution Review Implementation Committee on August 28, 2026, to examine the government’s position paper and develop a framework for implementing the accepted recommendations.

The implementation committee is chaired by Presidential Legal Counsel and former Attorney-General Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong.