Scrap appointment of Assembly Members - IEA poll reveals public opinion

A caller canvass conducted by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has revealed that 55 per cent of Ghanaians privation the assignment of Assembly Members scrapped from the instrumentality books.

This position reflected the presumption that the President's assignment of 30 per cent of the members of territory assemblies undermined the antiauthoritarian integrity and autonomy of section assemblies.

“Despite the bulk penchant for abolishing the appointed assembly subordinate system, the 45 per cent who bash not privation the presumption abolished represent a important minority. There is, therefore, the request for statement gathering connected the mode forward,” a merchandise issued by the institute to denote the canvass effect said.

Non-partisan election

The canvass showed that overwhelming bulk of Ghanaians, constituting 83.8 per cent, favour the non-partisan predetermination of each Assembly Members.

This decisive figure, it said, highlighted the committedness of Ghanaians to keeping section governance escaped from partisan control.

It besides pointed to a corporate aspiration for enhanced transparency, inclusivity, and section accountability.

The canvass besides recovered that a notable 68 per cent of Ghanaians show an knowing of however appointed Assembly Members presently get into office, suggesting a precocious level of consciousness of the country's section governance system.

However, the 32 per cent who are unaware highlighted the request for civic acquisition to heighten nationalist information successful section governance structures.

The poll

It said the canvass collected information from 1,311 respondents from each 16 regions of the state betwixt October 3 and October 20, 2025, targeting Ghanaians aged 18 years and above.

The merchandise said the country’s existent decentralisation and section governance efforts had been underway for implicit 35 years, and that implicit these years, assorted inefficiencies successful the strategy had led to persistent calls for reforms aimed astatine promoting transparency, accountability and antiauthoritarian improvement astatine the section level.

It was against this backdrop that the IEA conducted the nationwide canvass to solicit citizens’ views connected however to, among different things, betterment the appointed Assembly Member position.

Expert opinion

Meanwhile, the Head of Political Science Department of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Dr Gbensuglo Alidu Bukari, has welcomed the poll, saying it is simply a measurement successful the close direction.

He said the canvass had revealed a important nationalist appetite for betterment of the country’s section governance system, with 83.8 per cent of Ghanaians preferring non-partisan elections.

Dr Bukari said the results reflected long-standing concerns astir the effectiveness, autonomy, and antiauthoritarian legitimacy of metropolitan, municipal, and territory assemblies (MMDAs) successful the country.

He said the country’s existent section governance architecture, established nether PNDC Law 207 (1988) and entrenched successful the 1992 Constitution, was designed to decentralise powerfulness and beforehand grassroots participation.

However, helium pointed retired that cardinal aspects, peculiarly the President's authorization to name 30 per cent of Assembly Members, had been criticised for weakening section accountability.

He stated that non-partisan contests could widen civic engagement, let competent independents to compete, and assistance to displacement attraction from enactment loyalty to assemblage improvement priorities.

Dr Bukari called for a nationalist dialog and law amendments to align the strategy with modern antiauthoritarian expectations, including afloat elected assemblies, revisiting the mode of selecting MMDCEs, and expanding fiscal decentralisation to empower section governments.

The country’s existent section authorities system, which emphasised decentralisation,  was formally established successful 1988 with the enactment of the Local Government Law (PNDCL 207).