I just stumbled across the best news in politics for Ghana for the whole year – the leading party NDC is scrapping their electoral college for parliamentary primaries allowing all their membership to vote directly.
This just might have wonderful implications:
- Primaries are gates for political aspirants and direct voting makes more sense – if many folks like you, you win.
- Electoral colleges have earlier meant those who can pay off the relatively small number of people in the college wins, not the more popular.
- When good leaders who are not rich (or make corrupt promises to the electoral colleges) cannot win, it creates political apathy – now there is a chance for the leaders Ghana needs!
- Hopefully this will also lead to that main contending party NPP and other parties also review their primaries systems, making these effects even more profound.
On Facebook under a link to this news, selected comments were “who cares” and “NPP and NDC are all corrupt”, but also “this is the way” and “I am strongly behind you”. I say it is the best political news this whole year.
What are your views?
1 Comment
I co sign on that. The party has taking a very big step, which might just give them some political advantage many may not see. Making members feel they have the power to choose who to represent them at national elections is a big deal.