Former Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Mike Oquaye, has emphasized the need for Ghana to institutionalize presidential debates as a regular feature of the electoral process. He argued that such debates would offer the electorate an opportunity to evaluate the competence and policies of presidential candidates.

“Do we need a presidential debate? Should Ghana institutionalize it? I think it would be useful. If you want to be our president, we should hear you,” Prof. Oquaye stated in an interview on Starr Chat with celebrated media personality Bola Ray.

He expressed support for formalizing the process, acknowledging that while some African countries might struggle with fair execution, institutionalizing debates could prevent manipulation by political actors who might opt out when it doesn’t serve their interests.

Prof. Oquaye criticized the inconsistent approach to debates in Ghana, noting that some candidates participate in one election cycle but refuse in another. “Today you benefit from the debate, tomorrow you say you won’t do the debate because you are watching certain things and you want to go your way. This is wrong,” he said emphatically.

He further highlighted that while countries like the United States do not require a law to enforce presidential debates, Ghana might need to legislate the process due to the political dynamics in the country. “In America, they don’t need a law, but they are doing it. In Ghana, we may need a law in order to do it because of sometimes our nature,” he explained.

Prof. Oquaye’s call for a legal framework to institutionalize presidential debates comes amid ongoing discussions about improving political accountability and transparency in Ghana’s democratic processes.