IDEG holds seminar on political, administrative transitions

The Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) on Wednesday organised a seminar to educate the media and other stakeholders on issues of Political and Administrative Transitions.

The seminar on the theme: “Reflections on Issues in Political and Administrative Transitions”, was the first in the series of critical discussions on various political issues of national concern.

Mr Kwesi Jonah, a Senior Research Fellow with IDEG, said although Ghana had been cited  as an excellent model to democratic governance on the African Continent, she was saddled with the challenge of smooth transition of power.

“We as a country have taken the issue of power transition for granted since the country opted for a multi-party democratic system of governance in the early1990s”.

He noted that although Ghana had successfully alternated power for two consecutive times and successfully held general elections for five times, she still lacked in depth knowledge on proper transitional processes to prevent potential conflicts and hatred between political parties.

Nana Ato Dadzie, Former Chief of Staff under Former President Jerry John Rawlings, said transitional period in governance constituted a crucial period that must be carefully handled as a result of the leadership vaccum.

He called on Parliament to hasten passage of the Transitional Bill which would provide a consensual approach to the transitional process, clearly defining the processes and give reasonable time set for handing over of power.

Nana Dadzie noted that the absence of a constitutionally mandated institution to effectively handle transitional processes in the country gave clear indication of an institutional gap and weakness in the democratic process which needed urgent redress.

Source: GNA