By Rebecca Ekpe
As Local government advocates await the release of the Electoral Commission’s timetable outlining modalities for the 2023 District Level Elections, some Local Government enthusiasts are positioning themselves, and are demanding some level of accountability on the issues that confront the well-being of Local Government and Elections in Ghana.
The mantra has been ”apathy”.
This is quite worrying, because District Level Elections, which are held every four years in Ghana, are fundamental to grassroots development and actualizing Ghana’s decentralization agenda.
Unfortunately though, over the years, the District Assembly Elections have recorded apathy translating into low turnout.
Electoral Commission Statistics show that in 1988/89, the National Average Voter Turnout at the District Level Elections was – 59.3%; in 1994, it was 29.3%; 1998 – 41.6%; 2002 – 33.1%; 2006 – 39.3%; 2010 – 35.5%; 2015 – 30.6% and 2019- 33%.
Some of the reasons ascribed to the low voter turnout include no knowledge and appreciation of the local governance system and its usefulness to democratic governance and limited information on the local governance processes.
The Center for Local Governance Advocacy, has raised issues with the issue of apathy over the years and says it is ”worried about the general apathy in DLEs”, and even so when not much is being heard about the 2023 District Level Elections, with five months to the close of the year.
With five months to go, the Local Government Advocates are counting down to DLEs 2023.
The law says ”A District Assembly election happens when only voters or constituents who reside within an electoral district vote in an election held there. According to Ghana’s District Assembly Elections Act of 1994, District Assembly elections are held every four years and shall be held at least six months apart from Parliamentary elections”.
For now, the Electoral Commission has disclosed that the District Level Elections would be held in October, but details are yet to be released.
Meanwhile, at a Forum organized by the Center for Local Government Advocacy in Accra, the Deputy Chairman in charge of operations at the EC, Samuel Tettey noted that the “EC is resolved to bring all Ghanaians on board for the exercise”.
Attention was drawn to the fact that the DLEs have consistently had low participation of marginalized groups, especially Women.
Statistics from the 2019 District Level Elections point to the fact that out of 38, 500 Unit Committee members who contested the elections, 91.9% were males while only 8.1% females. Similarly, with regard to Assembly Members Elections, out of 18, 500 Assembly Members who contested, 17, 600 representing 95% were males, with only 900 representing 5% were females.
Among recommendations to remedy the situation are that;
· The Electoral Commission and all election stakeholders including the National Commission for Civic Education, NCCE, CSOs amongst others should be encouraged to step up education and engagement with the electorate.
· Furthermore, data on voter turnout should be aggregated to enhance effective analysis of the voter demographics for targeted voter education.
· Also, the Ministry of Local Government Decentralization and Rural Development is being encouraged to facilitate engagement with citizens that would push for a fixed date for the DLEs, as in the General Election.
Local Government advocates are optimistic that a fixed date for the District Level Elections would ensure commitment and a more effective Management of the election cycle for the District Level Elections in Ghana.
