The National Council of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has approved proxy voting for its National Officers' Elections scheduled for October 3, reversing a restriction applied in some of the party’s recent internal elections.

The decision forms part of a series of changes to the voting arrangements approved by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and National Council as preparations for the elections enter their final stages.

Chairman of the National Officers Elections Committee (NOEC), Frederick Opare Ansah, said the proxy arrangement would, among other things, enable eligible members of the NPP’s diaspora to participate in the election.

Proxy voting has previously been prohibited in recent NPP elections over concerns about alleged abuse by delegates. The restriction became a subject of debate during the party’s presidential primary in January.

According to Mr Opare Ansah, however, the latest arrangements have been carefully presented to and approved by the party’s governing bodies to ensure the elections proceed smoothly.

A major change approved by the party is the expansion of the electorate for the Youth Organiser position.

Under the previous arrangement, voting was largely restricted to constituency, regional and national youth organisers and their deputies, representatives of the Tertiary Students’ Confederacy Network (TESCON), and Members of Parliament aged below 40.

For the October 3 election, all delegates below the age of 40 will be entitled to vote in the Youth Organiser category.

The change has significantly expanded the youth electorate, with the number of eligible voters in the category now exceeding 2,000, according to the NOEC chairman.

The party has similarly broadened participation in the Women’s Organiser election. Instead of limiting voting to women organisers and their deputies, all female delegates will now be eligible to vote for the position.

Mr Opare Ansah said the electoral committee had completed the nominations, vetting and balloting processes, with all candidates cleared by the vetting committee now assigned positions on the ballot paper.

He explained that the NOEC subsequently presented the proposed electoral procedures to the NEC and National Council for approval, allowing the committee to proceed with the organisation of the polls.

“With the arrangements accepted by NEC and the Council, including proxy voting, we can now proceed towards the elections without any hitch,” he said.