‘Winner takes all’ must be expunged from Ghana’s political system – Haruna Iddrisu

Former Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu has called for the abolition of Ghana’s “winner-takes-all” political system, urging the country to adopt a more inclusive approach to governance.

His proposal emerged during a stakeholder workshop organized by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, where discussions focused on potential constitutional reforms.

The Tamale South MP criticized the existing system, arguing that it disproportionately centralizes power in the ruling party while sidelining other political actors. This, he believes, undermines the principles of inclusive democracy.

“Winner takes away all, we must do away with that in any future constitution of Ghana so that the country can have a proportional representative government like what pertains in South Africa,” Iddrisu stated.

He also emphasized that such a reform would limit the president’s authority and suggested that a comparative study be conducted across different countries.

He cited Kenya’s constitutional amendment that separates ministerial roles from parliamentary positions, noting that ministers who are not MPs tend to be less concerned about local constituencies compared to MPs who also serve as ministers and are accountable to voters.

“It would have also watered down the powers of the president and we must do a cross-jurisdictional study. Kenya has amended to decouple the minister from the MP.

“What they have observed is that those ministers who are not MPs don’t care more about constituents than those who are MPs who will perform in order to keep their seat.”

Source:insidergh.com