Former Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has proposed a significant amendment to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) constitution that would require incumbent Members of Parliament (MPs) to undergo a performance evaluation before they can be reselected as the party’s parliamentary candidates.
Under the proposed amendment to Article 12, where a constituency has an incumbent MP, their reselection would be based on a performance appraisal that combines assessments from two levels of the party: the Parliamentary Party leadership and the Constituency Executive Committee. Each assessment would contribute 50% to the final score.
According to the proposal, “where the Member secures an accumulated average of more than 60%, the member shall be confirmed as the Party’s Candidate, provided that he or she has not involved himself in any matter that has brought or may bring the image of the Party into disrepute,” or any other circumstance that could render the MP ineligible under the Constitution of Ghana.
However, if the MP scores below 60%, the party would open the field for primaries, where the incumbent may still contest if not disqualified under any party or national regulation.
Significantly, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu also proposes that all card-bearing members of the Party in good standing for at least two years in a constituency should be eligible to participate in the selection of the parliamentary candidate for that constituency. This marks a shift toward greater grassroots involvement in the candidate selection process.
Additionally, the proposed amendment includes a safeguard for parliamentary leadership: “The leadership of the Parliamentary Group shall not be contested in any constituency primaries except where the individual is involved in any matter that may bring the image of the Party or Parliamentary Group into disrepute.”The amendment also outlines timelines for the selection process:
In constituencies without an incumbent MP, the parliamentary candidate should be selected not later than 24 months before the general elections.
In constituencies with an incumbent MP, the selection should be completed 15 months before the national polls.
This performance-based approach is part of broader constitutional reforms aimed at enhancing internal accountability and streamlining the party’s electoral preparations ahead of future elections.
