The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has delivered a pointed critique of Ghana’s two dominant political groupings, the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party, for their failure to nominate female contenders in the impending Ayawaso East by election. His remarks have reignited national discourse on gender representation and structural reform within the country’s political architecture.
Addressing participants at a high level forum on Political Inclusion and Consensus Building convened by the Africa Center for Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Bagbin described the omission of women candidates as symptomatic of a deeper institutional deficiency within party structures. According to him, political organisations have not sufficiently cultivated female leadership or embedded gender equity into their candidate selection frameworks.
He disclosed that he had anticipated at least one of the major parties would demonstrate bold commitment to inclusion by presenting a woman for the Ayawaso East contest. Had that occurred, he stated, he would have personally endorsed the candidate as a symbolic affirmation of the urgent need to expand women’s presence in the national legislature. Instead, he expressed disappointment that both dominant parties had failed to rise to the occasion.
The Speaker emphasised that the responsibility for inclusive governance does not begin in Parliament but originates within party institutions themselves. In his view, political parties must transcend their narrow function as electoral machines and evolve into academies of leadership formation. They should nurture competence, cultivate diversity, and prepare citizens for national stewardship rather than merely mobilising support for periodic polls.
Mr Bagbin argued that when parties neglect leadership grooming and inclusivity, Parliament inevitably reflects those shortcomings. Inclusion, he stressed, must be institutionalised at the grassroots level of party organisation before it can mature into meaningful legislative representation.
Beyond the immediate issue of gender parity, the Speaker broadened his critique to encompass the structural configuration of Ghana’s political landscape. He expressed concern that the country’s democratic system has effectively consolidated around two dominant entities, thereby narrowing the spectrum of ideological competition and alternative policy innovation. In his assessment, Ghana would benefit from the emergence of a robust third political force capable of providing balance and invigorating national debate.
Recalling the formative years of the Fourth Republic in the early 1990s, Mr Bagbin reflected on the vibrancy and pluralism that characterised party congresses during that era. He suggested that those gatherings fostered broader national integration and more dynamic engagement than what is currently evident within the prevailing two party dominance.
The Ayawaso East by election, triggered under circumstances that have drawn considerable public attention, has therefore become more than a localised political contest. For the Speaker, it symbolises a missed opportunity to advance both gender inclusion and structural diversification within Ghana’s democratic order.
Mr Bagbin maintained that strengthening democracy requires deliberate expansion of representation across gender lines as well as ideological breadth across party formations. A legislature that mirrors the demographic and social diversity of the nation, he argued, is better positioned to enact policies that reflect collective aspirations and withstand institutional shocks.
His intervention arrives amid ongoing national conversations about affirmative action, women’s participation in governance, and electoral reform. With Ghana’s Parliament historically recording relatively modest female representation compared to global averages, calls for systemic change have grown more persistent.
In the Speaker’s estimation, deepening democracy demands more than periodic elections and partisan rivalry. It requires intentional cultivation of leadership pipelines, structural openness to alternative political movements, and unwavering commitment to inclusion. Without such reforms, he warned, the country risks entrenching a narrow political duopoly that may limit innovation and restrict broader citizen participation.
As Ghana prepares for the Ayawaso East by election, Mr Bagbin’s remarks stand as both admonition and invitation. They challenge established parties to reassess their internal cultures and encourage emerging political actors to expand the democratic space. Above all, they underscore a central proposition that Ghana’s democratic resilience will be measured not only by electoral competition but by the depth of representation and inclusivity embedded within its political system.
