This study seeks to assess the extent to which the Ghanaian political parties have the capacity to participate in the election of local leaders (district assembly members and MMDCEs) and sustain institutionalization of local democracy in the country. 

In August 2019, the Government of Ghana introduced a proposal to amend a constitutional entrenched provision that seeks to make local government elections partisan and another legislative alteration to promote the direct election of Metropolitan/ Municipal/ District Chief Executives (MMDCEs). While some Ghanaians have welcomed the amendment proposals to reform local government politics, at the same time, some academics and civil society groups have raised concerns about whether the political parties have the capacity to run successful local government elections to choose their community leaders (assembly members and MMDCEs). Simply put, in an environment where political parties cease to exist (function) after general elections, there is little confidence in the parties’ ability to participate in the local assemblies’ politics – and integrate conflicting views and demands into coherent ideologies and manifestoes, provide voters with choices on a range of leaders and policy programmes; select and train local legislative candidates and political leaders; organize the business of government and play formal opposition role at the local level.