Supreme Court Orders Political Parties to Adopt ‘One Member, One Vote’ Internal Elections
By Boakye Stephen, Kumasi, Ghana | Reporting for Ghanaian News Canada | July 29,2026
In one of the most consequential constitutional decisions affecting Ghana’s democratic system, the Supreme Court has ruled that political parties must permit all members in good standing to participate directly in selecting party leaders and election candidates.
The 5–2 majority decision effectively invalidates the delegate-based electoral system that has governed internal elections within the country’s major political parties for decades.
The constitutional challenge was brought by Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe and Dr Christine Amoako-Nuamah, who argued that limiting voting rights to selected delegates violates constitutional principles of equality and democratic participation.
According to the court’s decision, political parties recognised under Article 55 of the Constitution are required to organise their internal affairs in a manner consistent with democratic values. Restricting leadership elections to a privileged group of delegates was therefore found to be incompatible with those constitutional principles.
The Attorney-General supported the challenge, maintaining that expanding participation to all registered members would strengthen transparency, accountability and internal democracy.
The judgment is expected to compel political parties to amend their constitutions and electoral procedures ahead of future presidential, parliamentary and executive primaries.
The Electoral Commission may also be required to ensure that party constitutions comply with the constitutional standards established by the court.
Commentary
This ruling represents a significant shift in Ghana’s democratic evolution. Expanding participation could strengthen grassroots engagement and reduce excessive influence by delegate blocs. At the same time, political parties now face the practical challenge of designing transparent, secure and financially sustainable nationwide internal elections.
