Most Ghanaians Prefer the Election of MMDCEs on a Non-Partisan Basis – IEA Poll Reveals
Following persistent calls for the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), an attempt was made in 2019 to amend Articles 55(3) and 243(1) to respectively allow for political party participation in local level elections and to make the position of MMDCEs an elective one. This was, however, discontinued due to ‘a lack of broad national consensus.’ The most recent debate on the election of MMDCEs relates to a call by President John Dramani Mahama, to have MMDCEs elected on a non-partisan basis in line with the promise in the 2024 Resetting Ghana Manifesto of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The IEA, therefore, conducted a nationwide poll to solicit citizens’ views on how MMDCEs should get into office. Data was collected from all 16 regions of Ghana between 15 and 26 August 2025, targeting Ghanaians aged 18 years and above. The poll revealed that:
1. Almost seven out of ten Ghanaians (69.6%) know how MMDCEs get into office.
2. A significant majority of Ghanaians (67.9%) prefer that MMCEs be elected to office.
3. On the mode of election, more than six out of every ten Ghanaians (63.5%) prefer the election of MMDCEs on a non-partisan basis.
There is a high level of awareness among citizens on how MMDCEs get into office.
To settle any lingering questions on the level of public knowledge regarding the current appointment process of MMDCEs, respondents were asked if they knew how the MMDCE position is filled. The results show a high awareness of the process with 69.6% of respondents indicating that they know how MMDCEs get into office. On the contrary, 30.4% of respondents indicated that they did not know how MMDCEs get into office under the current system. Despite this high level of awareness, the 30.4% respondents who lack knowledge on the current process is significant enough to require civic education on the subject.
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