Among the fundamental principles towards stable democracy are the electoral system and the arms of government created to facilitate mass participation of citizenry in managing issues affecting their economic and social potency and impotency.
The tension-filled political atmosphere and its attendant nemesis in Ghana’s electoral season are enough reasons the people of Ghana must rethink the electoral system we have carved for ourselves as elements of democratic evolution.
Relegating our customary forms of electoral system which many astute democracies have adopted into electing their heads of states and heads of government is one of the regretful political provisions we have forced into our laws.
“No constitution can work if it is not understood and experienced by people (and not only the small class of politicians), the participation of the people in the political process, a necessary condition in all constitutional structures, at least in the democratic ones, must in a country like Ghana rely much on the traditional lines of communication and political education” Jenny Goldschmidt,
It would be noticed that most astute democracies including the Great 8 economic powers of the world have succinctly adopted indirect elections to elect their heads of States and heads of government akin to the Ghanaian customary laws and usage.
Surprisingly the framers of our constitution did not bother to look far into the electoral systems of astute democracies in the world neither did they considered our custom and traditions of how our chiefs and kings are nominated, selected and elected to their stools long before the coming of Europeans into our lands and long before the United States of America concreted their seven articles constitution.
We continue to sing praises of Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s achievement but relegate his opinion on electoral system he adopted under the 1960 Constitution where the Parliament of Ghana elects the President and not the popular vote.
The near electoral system we have adopted is the France Republic where an absolute majority of 50%+1 popular votes is required to elect a President but the President of France is not the head of government.
The President of France shares executive powers with the Prime Minister who invariably must be the leader of the majority political party in the Parliament of France.
The President of France in the Ghanaian parlance would be likened to the “Head of Family under which there is the King or Chief who rules”.
The basic principles in an enduring democracy is that, only a select few chooses who to become the head of state and the head of government as well.
Simulation and consolidation of institutions of state of other nations into our systems for a better pragmatic system for ourselves considering our custom and life styles into shaping it to suit us is the right perspective.
The electing of the President of the United States is crafted more seemingly to the Ghanaian art of electing our chiefs and kings in that, the entire exercise concludes with a “Select Few” who finally decides an appropriate candidate to fill the position of the head of State.
“The Constitution is designed to ensure “that the office of President will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications.” The point of the Electoral College is to preserve “the sense of the people,” while at the same time ensuring that a president is chosen “by men most capable of analyzing the qualities adapted to the station, and acting under circumstances favourable to deliberation, and to a judicious combination of all the reasons and inducements which were proper to govern their choice.” – Alexander Hamilton in the Federalist Papers No 10”
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