Audio By Carbonatix
National Chairman of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, says he believes the Supreme Court's decision declaring the delegate system unconstitutional was driven by concerns that leaders elected through the process ultimately govern the entire country, not just their political parties.
Speaking on JoyNews' PM Express on Tuesday, August 4, Mr Asiedu Nketia shared his perspective on the landmark ruling, which ordered political parties to replace the delegate system within one year with a process that allows all members in good standing to vote in presidential and parliamentary primaries.
According to him, those who challenged the delegate system in court were motivated by the view that presidential and parliamentary candidates elected through a limited group of delegates go on to occupy public offices that serve the entire nation.
"I believe the people who went to the Supreme Court were motivated by the fact that, even though the presidential and parliamentary primaries start within the party, the product becomes national officers, so if we elect a candidate for president and he eventually becomes the president of the republic, he becomes president for everybody. The same way, if you elect a parliamentary candidate and he gets elected by the general population, he becomes a statesman for the whole country.
If that election is going to result in electing statesmen for the whole country, then you must try and make the beginning as democratic as possible, which is why they sought the intervention of the Supreme Court to make sure that at least every member...."
Mr Asiedu Nketia's comments come after the Supreme Court, in a 5–2 majority decision, ruled that restricting the selection of parliamentary and presidential candidates to delegates violates the Constitution and directed political parties to adopt a more inclusive electoral system within a year.
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