The Attorney-General’s Department has filed arguments in support of a Supreme Court case seeking to abolish the delegate system in political party primaries and allow all registered party members to vote, a deputy attorney-general said.
Justice Srem-Sai, in a Facebook post on Tuesday (26 May), described the case as one of the most significant constitutional matters in the country’s Fourth Republic.
The case, known as the “Anti-Delegate System” suit, was filed at the Supreme Court by cardiac surgeon and former minister Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, former minister Christine Amoako-Nuamah, and politician Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe.
They are represented by lawyer and activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor.
The plaintiffs are asking the court to declare that all registered members of political parties in good standing should be allowed to vote in internal party primaries, rather than the current delegate system in which selected representatives vote.
Srem-Sai said the state had filed arguments in support of the plaintiffs’ position.
“We believe that the declaration, if made by the Supreme Court, will considerably improve our democracy in many ways,” he said.
He said the Attorney-General’s Department supported the argument that expanding voting rights within parties could strengthen Ghana’s democratic system.
The delegate system, used by political parties in Ghana, has been criticised by some reform advocates who argue it concentrates power in the hands of a few delegates and increases the risk of vote-buying and manipulation.
