All set for MMDAs inauguration in 259 assemblies today

Ghanaian

Today marks the inauguration of the metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies (MMDAs) across the country.

The inauguration comes after the District Level Elections held in December last year, which elected new assembly and unit committee members to serve in the various assemblies for the next four years.

The inauguration ceremony will be held in 259 assemblies out

Read full articleof the 261 assemblies where the elections took place last year. The elections in Nkoranza North and South in the Bono East Region were held in 2021 instead of 2019.

Local Governance Act 2016(Act 936) as amended by Act 940, stipulates that District Level Elections should be held every four years with an interval between it and the Presidential and Parliamentary elections being at least six months apart.

The elections are held to encourage citizens' participation in the electoral process. Since 1988, Ghana has had nine successive local-level elections, including the ones held last year.

As part of the inauguration, representatives of the President will deliver his inaugural address. All elected assembly and unit committee members across the 259 MMDAs will be sworn in to officially commence their mandate to ensure the smooth and effective discharge of their duties in their respective electoral areas.

The Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD), Dan Botwe, rescheduled the nationwide inauguration of the MMDAs to today, February 12.

The event was rescheduled as it coincided with the reconvening of Parliament and also to allow MPs who were part of the assemblies to attend the inauguration today.

According to statistics sourced from the Electoral Commission, out of the 66,257 candidates who contested in the district assembly elections held in December last year, 18,755 were assembly member candidates, while 47,502 were unit committee candidates.

6,215 out of the 18,755 candidates were elected to serve in the 259 MMDAs.

The Local Government Act, 2016 (Act 936) states that "A District Assembly shall consist of one person from each electoral area within the district elected by universal adult suffrage following regulations made for the purpose by the Electoral Commission".

For the unit committee members, 31,075 were elected out of the 47,502, given that each electoral area had five unit committee members.