Lawyer and former Gomoa West MPAlexander Abban has defended Ghana’s long-standing delegate system in political parties, arguing that representative or delegated democracy remains a legitimate democratic model.

Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Thursday (30 July), Abban said the Supreme Court’s ruling requiring all card-bearing party members in good standing to vote in internal elections has reignited debate over how democracy should function within political parties.

He argued that delegation of authority has always been a core feature of democratic governance.

Drawing comparisons with Parliament, Abban noted that citizens elect Members of Parliament who subsequently exercise powers on their behalf, including electing the Speaker of Parliament.

“We have given our powers as a people to our representatives in Parliament,” he explained, adding that citizens do not directly participate in every political decision.

He said political parties operate in a similar manner by electing polling station executives, who subsequently elect constituency, regional and national executives on behalf of members.

According to him, this layered system represents a valid form of indirect democracy.

“I don’t think that in itself is undemocratic,” Abban argued, insisting that delegation is compatible with democratic principles provided those delegates themselves are democratically elected.

While acknowledging the Supreme Court’s authority, Abban questioned why internal party democracy should necessarily require direct participation by every member when representative democracy is accepted elsewhere in Ghana’s constitutional framework.

He nevertheless indicated that he understood the broader policy objectives the court may have sought to achieve.

Abban said once the Supreme Court publishes its detailed reasoning, legal practitioners will be in a better position to assess the constitutional basis of the landmark decision.