Kill the apathy, participate in district elections because it's closer to you - CLGA

The Centre for Local Governance advocacy (CLGA) has called on Ghanaians to prioritise District Level Elections (DLEs), especially the one slated for later in 2023.

In a statement issued by Gladys Gillian Tetteh, the Deputy Executive Director, on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, she said that although these elections are the ones at the very doorsteps of the citizenry, they are given little attention.

Expressing the disappointment of the CLGA in the fact that there is low interest in the preparations towards the upcoming 2023 District Level Elections, the statement added that a workshop to deliberate on the subject was organized.

“Ghanaians are advised to make this year’s District and Unit Committee elections a priority since the Assemblies are the ones closer to citizens and go out in their numbers to vote for their Assembly and Unit Committee Members.

“The onus to develop our communities lies on us, and we must endeavor to devote time to fully participate in this all-important national task to elect development-oriented representatives for our electoral areas. The CLGA entreats the voting public to eschew apathy and actively participate in the 2023 DLEs,” the statement said.

Also, the CLGA workshop called for a purposive national effort to be made to improve the participation of women in local governance, so as to promote and improve inclusivity and better decision making.

“Ghanaians are therefore encouraged to support and vote for women and PWDs during the upcoming 2023 DLEs. We call on parliament to expedite action on the Affirmative Action Bill to give guidance to women’s inclusion in public affairs,” it added.

Statistics from the 2019 District Level Elections indicate that out of the 38,500 Unit Committee members who contested the elections, 91.9% were males, with only 8.1% females.

Similarly, on the assembly members elections, out of the 18,500 assembly members who contested, 17,600, representing 95%, were males, and only 900, representing 5%, were females.

The mandate of the current crop of District Assembly and Unit Committee Members expires by January 2024.

Participants of the workshop included representatives from the Electoral Commission of Ghana, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), academia, local governance experts, serving and potential assembly members, the media, among others.

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