Delegates from 30 external branches of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have petitioned the party’s leadership over a decision to ban proxy voting in its upcoming presidential primary, calling the move unconstitutional and undemocratic.
In a petition dated 10 November and addressed to the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), the group argued that the Presidential Elections Committee (PEC) lacked the constitutional authority to prohibit proxy voting without consultation with the NEC and the National Council.
The delegates said the decision, announced on November 6, “effectively disenfranchises” NPP members living abroad and violates long-standing party practices that allow external delegates to vote through proxies when they cannot travel to Ghana.
“The PEC lacks constitutional authority to unilaterally alter or prohibit proxy voting,” the petition read, adding that the directive “is ultra vires and void.”
The petitioners cited Articles 8 and 23 of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution and the Political Parties Act, 2000 (Act 574), arguing that the ban violates democratic principles and natural justice.
They said the directive imposes heavy financial and logistical burdens on delegates overseas, with travel and accommodation costs estimated at around $3,000 per person.
The external branch leaders said they had earlier proposed alternative voting methods that would be “accessible, cost-effective, and democratic,” but received no response before the PEC announced the ban.
“The decision, without providing an alternative mechanism, disenfranchises a vital constituency of the party’s global membership and undermines democratic integrity,” the petition said.
