Gov’t supports court bid to make party members eligible voters in primaries

The government has backed a Supreme Court case seeking to allow all registered members of political parties to vote in internal primaries.

Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem-Sai disclosed that the state had filed arguments supporting a constitutional challenge against the delegate system used by political parties to elect leaders and parliamentary candidates.

According to him, the case, known as the Anti-delegate System (ADS) case, was initiated by Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, and Dr. Christine Amoako-Nuamah, with legal representation from Barker-Vormawor and Associates.

“Yesterday, we filed our argument in what, I think, is one of the most impactful constitutional law cases in the 4th Republic – the Anti-delegate System (ADS) case,” Dr. Srem-Sai wrote in a post on X.

He explained that the plaintiffs are asking the Supreme Court to declare that “all registered members in good standing of a political party are entitled to vote in the party’s primaries.”

“We believe that the declaration, if made by the Supreme Court, will considerably improve our democracy in many ways. We argued in support of the Plaintiff’s case,” he added.

The delegate system has long been used by Ghana’s two major political parties — the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party — to elect national executives, flagbearers and parliamentary candidates through selected delegates rather than universal participation by party members.

Critics of the arrangement have argued over the years that it promotes elitism, vote-buying and exclusion within party structures, while weakening internal democratic participation.

Supporters of the current system, however, maintain that the delegate structure helps political parties manage large-scale internal elections efficiently and reduces logistical challenges.

Amid growing calls for reforms, the NPP last year expanded its electoral college ahead of its internal elections in a move party officials said was intended to broaden participation and strengthen grassroots representation.

The Supreme Court is expected to determine whether limiting voting rights in party primaries to delegates is consistent with constitutional principles on political participation and democratic governance.