A lawyer and Economics professor has urged the Electoral Commission (EC) to slash the number of constituencies ahead of the December general elections.

Making the suggestion, Prof. Kwaku Asare cited two top legislators who he said back the reduction of MPs from 275 to 200.

“NDC (Muntaka Mubarak) and NPP (Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu) agree that there are too many MPs doing nothing so we should save money by reducing the number to 200,” he wrote on Facebook.

Calling for expedited action, Kwaku Azar, as he is popularly known, said the country’s election governing body should “embrace this great idea” and ensure it takes effect in 2020.

“After all, we used to have 200 MPs, 20 sector ministers and 10 regional ministers. Further, only deputy ministers came from parliament,” he added.

Electoral boundaries

The EC is empowered under Article 45 (b) of the Constitution to demarcate electoral boundaries.

Therefore, to reduce the number of MPs, the Commission must lead the process in merging some Constituencies across the country.

The feasibility of that happening smoothly in an already charged electoral atmosphere remains anyone’s guess.

The EC is meanwhile, readying to compile a new voters’ register for the December presidential and parliamentary elections amid resistance from some opposition political parties who insist the current register is fit for purpose.