A nationwide poll conducted by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has revealed that a significant majority of Ghanaians prefer the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) on a non-partisan basis.
The findings come amid persistent public debate and previous attempts to amend constitutional articles to allow for the election of these officials.
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The poll, which surveyed Ghanaians aged 18 and above across all 16 regions of the country between August 15 and 26, 2025, aimed to gauge public opinion on how MMDCEs should assume office.
The results highlight a strong preference for elections over the current system of presidential appointments.
High Public Awareness, Strong Call for Elections
The IEA poll found a high level of public awareness regarding the current process for filling the MMDCE position.
Nearly seven out of ten Ghanaians (69.6%) indicated that they are knowledgeable about how MMDCEs get into office.
However, the 30.4% who lack this knowledge is considered significant enough to warrant further civic education on the subject.
When asked about their preferred method for MMDCEs to get into office, a substantial majority of Ghanaians (67.9%) expressed a preference for elections.
This contrasts with the 32.1% who favour appointment or other modes of selection.
The IEA noted that this strong support for elections aligns with recent calls for a change in the system.
Non-Partisan Approach is Overwhelmingly Preferred
The most striking finding of the poll relates to the mode of election. Despite ongoing debates about whether elections should be partisan or non-partisan, the results showed a clear preference for the latter.
More than six out of every ten Ghanaians (63.5%) indicated their support for the non-partisan election of MMDCEs.
In contrast, a minority of 36.5% supported either partisan elections (34.7%) or other forms of election (1.8%).
The IEA’s press release suggests that this majority preference for a non-partisan approach may indicate a “lack of trust for political parties in local level elections.”
The debate over the election of MMDCEs gained recent prominence following a call by former President John Dramani Mahama to have MMDCEs elected on a non-partisan basis, a promise included in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) 2024 “Resetting Ghana Manifesto.”
This follows a 2019 attempt to amend Articles 55(3) and 243(1) of the constitution, which was discontinued due to a lack of broad national consensus.
