General News of Sunday, 17 December 2017

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

LIVESTREAMING: NPP's National Delegates Conference

Over 5,000 delegates are to decide on key constitutional amendments for the party today play videoOver 5,000 delegates are to decide on key constitutional amendments for the party today

The governing New Patriotic Party is today holding a National Delegates Conference in the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi, to among others, consider major amendments to the party's constitution.

Over 5,000 delegates including founding fathers and patrons of the party, Members of Parliament on the party’s ticket, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, and national officers of the party, are to decide on key amendments for the party later today.

The NPP deferred the amendment of its constitution to the extraordinary national delegates conference when it held its Annual National Delegates Conference in August this year.

Some members of the party have called for a review of the party’s electoral college system to ensure that the same number of delegates who vote for the party’s national executives, also vote for the selection of their presidential candidate.

Others are also calling for the review of requirements for qualification to the constituency and regional executive position.

They want only persons who have gone through the ranks of the party at the local level, to be given the chance to vie for such positions.

But both proposals - two of many to be considered - are being fiercely fought by a number of party faithful. A decision to also bar party members with dual citizenship from contesting executive positions in the party has seen many members of the party in the diaspora upset with scores threatening to either seek legal redress or quit the NPP should the party go ahead to implement the said reforms.

Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, has meanwhile rubbished the suggestion to bar such members of the party in the diaspora from contesting executive positions in the party. He says the move is a senseless one which will be shot down at the Conference.

Watch a livestream of the New Patriotic Party's Extraordinary National Delegates Conference here.