Here is the percentage of Ghanaians who want MMDCEs elected on non-partisan basis - IEA

A latest nationwide poll by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has revealed that majority of Ghanaians prefer Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to be elected on a non-partisan basis rather than appointed.

In a statement issued by the think tank on September 16, 2025, it said the poll which was conducted between August 15 and 26, 2025, covered all 16 regions and engaged citizens aged 18 years and above.

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"The results showed a preference for the non-partisan election of MMDCEs, with a significant majority of 63.5% of respondents indicating their support for non-partisan elections. A minority of 36.5%, however, indicated their support for partisan elections (34.7%) or other forms of election (1.8%). This majority preference for the non-partisan election of MMDCEs seems to suggest a lack of trust for political parties in local level election," it noted.

The poll also found that 69.6% of Ghanaians are aware of how MMDCEs currently get into office, a process dominated by presidential appointments.

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"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," it said.

The IEA further stated that the findings indicate that, most of the people who polled seem to lack confidence in political parties when it comes to local level elections.

Read the full statement below :



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