No date for internal elections yet - NPP
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has not fixed any date for conduct of polling station elections this year.
It has, therefore, asked persons putting out dates for the conduct of elections to stop until the party officially comes up with rules, regulations and timelines for the internal polls.
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The Director of Elections and Research of the NPP, Mr Evans Nimako, told the Daily Graphic that any such schedule would have to be approved by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) or National Council.
He said after approval, the schedule would be communicated through the party’s General Secretary, Mr John Boadu.
“As we speak, the schedule has not been prepared neither has NEC even met to discuss anything. It is mere speculations and rumours,” he stated.
He, therefore, asked party members to ignore information that the party had fixed January 20, 2022 for the conduct of polling station elections.
Context
The party is expected to hold polling stations, electoral area coordinators, constituency executives elections this year.
It would be followed by Regional and National Executives Elections.
Conference
The NPP held its delegates conference in Kumasi from December 18 to 20, 2021, to among other things deliberate on issues that would have set the stage for the election of polling station, electoral area coordinator, constituency, regional and national office positions from January this year.
The more than 6,000 delegates of the party were also expected to consider some proposals for the constitutional amendments.
However, the proposals were shelved for the party’s NEC and National Council to deliberate on before the conduct of internal elections this year.
Amendments
Although more than 200 proposals were made for constitutional amendments, the Constitutional Review Committee of the party, under the chairmanship of Mr. Alexander Afenyo-Markin, whittled them down to 91.
The proposals include membership, disciplinary and grievance procedures, polling station organisation, constituency reorganisation through to the national level.
It also covers the selection of parliamentary candidates, election of presidential candidates and special organisations of the party.
Another proposal is to amend Article 14 (2) of the party’s constitution for the election of the leadership of the parliamentary group two weeks after the declaration of the general election results.
On the election of a presidential candidate, the proposal is to elect the candidate 24 months before the general election instead of the current provision where the candidate is elected 12 months ahead of the elections when the party is in government.
