NDC To Meet On Parliamentary Primaries

After its successful national delegates congress in Sunyani, the National Executive of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will be meeting on Monday to strategise as to how to organise successful parliamentary primaries to select 230 aspirants for the 2012 elections.

According to sources close to the party, the strategy will be to ensure that the delegates at the various constituencies will select their best choices without let, hindrance or any influences from any quarters.

It said for a start, the party was likely to zone the country into two, the northern sector and the southern part.

But it will hold its first set of primaries in September this year to select aspirants in orphan constituencies; those without sitting NDC Members of Parliament (MP).

After the selection of aspirants for the orphaned constituencies, it will probably begin holding primaries for constituencies with sitting MPs, who would be challenged by other members who are interested in the positions.

The source noted that because of such challenges, particularly where there were sitting MPs, it tended to breed trouble and discontent and as such the party was not taking chances in putting in place guidelines and strategies that will make the 230 primaries free, fair and a source of strength of the party at the constituency level.

It said the party was aware of what it went through prior to the 2000 elections and how the problems that erupted during the selection of the parliamentary aspirants also contributed to discontent among some members, leading to apathy and consequently losing the 2000 elections to the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Already some members of the party with interest in some constituencies have started underground works, particularly where they have incumbent MPs and this is causing uneasiness among the executives.