REGIONAL DIALOGUES ON DEMOCRATIC DEVOLUTION PRESS RELEASE Democratic Devolution: Strengthening Democratic Development through Multiparty-Based Local Government Released on Monday, September 12, 2016 On Tuesday, September 13, 2016, the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) and the Civic Forum Initiative (CFI) together with allied civil society networks and partners will begin the Regional Dialogue Series of the campaign for multiparty-based local government. The first regional event scheduled to be held in Sunyani, Brong Ahafo Region follows a Public Conversation on multi-based local government, which took place on September 5, 2016 in Accra. Since 2008, many individuals and organizations have discovered that the presidential system that gives absolute power to the president is problematic and have called for the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs). The Constitutional Review Commission’s (CRC) Report in 2011, the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) survey of August 2015 and the convergence of political parties on the need for local government reforms point to a new social and political reality that shows popular support and convergence on the issue of local government reforms. There is consensus on the fact that the election of MMDCEs on party lines will help Ghana realize the essentials of good governance. IDEG and the CFI will hold the regional series to decentralize the dialogue on local government reforms to mobilize public support for the campaign. The Regional Dialogue Series has been designed to revive public interest and refocus attention on the urgency of the reforms as a means of mitigating the persistent threats to peaceful elections, good governance, stability of the multiparty system and national cohesion.
………………………………….. Mr. Kwesi Jonah Senior Research Fellow, IDEG