The chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Asiedu Nketia, has expressed his opinion that Ghana has too many members of parliament (MPs). He said he would prefer the country to have only 200 MPs, as was projected when the constitution was written
According to him, there was a loophole in the constitution that was exploited by former President Kufour’s government, which allowed for the creation of new constituencies without regard to the population census. He said this has opened the floodgate for anyone in power to create more constituencies as they wish.
He made these remarks on TV3, a Ghanaian television station, where he also criticized the current government for failing to deliver on its promises and accused it of corruption and mismanagement.
Ghana has 275 MPs, each representing a constituency across the 16 regions in the country. The MPs are elected by a first-past-the-post system, which means that the candidate with the most votes in each constituency wins the seat. The MPs are divided into two main political parties: the NDC and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), with one independent candidate.
The number of MPs has increased over the years, from 104 in 1954 to 275 in 2012. The Electoral Commission of Ghana is responsible for creating and revising the constituencies based on the population census, which is conducted every 10 years. The last census was in 2010, and the next one is scheduled for 2021.
Some analysts have argued that having more MPs is beneficial for democracy and representation, as it allows for more voices and opinions to be heard in parliament. They also say that more MPs can help to address the needs and challenges of their constituents more effectively.
However, others have raised concerns about the cost and efficiency of having more MPs, as it increases the expenditure on salaries, allowances, and logistics for the parliament. They also question the quality and performance of some MPs, who may lack the skills and experience to contribute to the legislative process.
Asiedu Nketia said he hopes that the next census will be used to rationalize the number of constituencies and MPs, and not to create more. He said he believes that having fewer MPs will make the parliament more effective and accountable.
Source: Ghana Web
