Local government Expert, Amon Kotei says it is impracticable for government to fulfill it’s promise of making the position of District Chief Executive in the local areas elective next year.
“There is no way we can vote next year. No way it is not possible” Amon told host Fiifi Banson on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa 102.5 FM Thursday.
Reiterating the commitment of his government towards the election of MMDCEs, President Akufo-Addo told local government representatives Wednesday that “I belong in the group that has always advocated for the direct, popular election of Chief Executives. It is now a Manifesto commitment of the ruling party, the NPP, so you must be aware that it is going to be fulfilled.”
The process for the amendment of the Constitution, he assured, will soon be underway, “which will make you the last batch of Chief Executives to be appointed under the current system.”
In the case of a referendum, a voter turn-out of at least 40% of the electorates is needed with at least 70% of the votes endorsing a partisan local government system.
But Amon in his submission told Kasapa FM that it is still misty for government to advance the system anytime soon against the backdrop of the complexity involved in order to review and reconcile all enabling legal framework in the implementation of the MMDCEs elections.
“I heard my good friend O.B Amoah dropping some hint that 2019 there is going to be a referendum. Because we have to change the entire constitutional set-up of our local governance before we can even think of voting. So when he dropped that hint I became convinced that the process may take a little longer to be realized. And so for people to insist that the elections of MMDCEs will take off soon is neither here nor there; it is a non-starter”
