By Francis Edzorna Mensah
Thousands of registered voters are expected to vote to elect their respective Assembly and Unit Committee Members, to the various District Assemblies for the next four (4) years.
It is also important that the electorates know what they are voting for in respect of the duties of Assembly Members. The upcoming District Assembly and Unit Committee Members elections scheduled for Tuesday, December 19, 2023, under the District Level Elections Regulations, 2015 (Constitutional Instrument, C.I. 89, to elect the Assembly and Unit Committee Members) are nonpartisan.
It is solely one’s constitutional right to vote and vote for development to improve the conditions of life in our rural areas and to address the imbalance in development between rural and urban areas.
The conduct of District Level Elections is precisely to fulfil some of these provisions, especially when it comes to the implementation of the Directive Principles of State Policy under Article 34, and it is an important constitutional imperative to ensure that people are given the opportunity to elect their representatives to the District Assemblies, where local decision-making and development evolve for the betterment of all.
As electorates vote for their preferred candidates, they must take note that the duties or obligations of the person to be elected to work in their areas or communities are very critical for their development.
One of the reasons underpinning decentralisation in Ghana is to transfer decisions and powers from the Centre to local authorities, to make developmental decisions that will stimulate growth and progress at the lower level of the governance structure, in fulfilment of Act 936, and to also promote and enhance the local economy to meet local needs rather than being accumulated or sold for profit.
The foundation for Local Economic freedom granted to local people at the Assembly level found expression in Article 36(2)(d) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic, under Economic Objectives, which says that the State shall, in particular, take all necessary steps to establish a sound and healthy economy, whose underlying principles shall include establishing an even and balanced District Assembly.
They are to report to the electorates the general decisions of the District Assembly and the actions members have taken to solve problems in their electoral areas.
The Assembly and Unit Committee Members are to draw the attention of general debate to national policies relevant to the well-being of the people. It is hoped that the electorates will vote for people who truly represent them as they approach the voting booth to cast their ballots on Tuesday, December 19, 2023.
