Freddie Blay says open party primaries are not practical

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Former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, has cast doubt on proposals to allow all card-bearing members of political parties to vote in presidential and parliamentary primaries, describing the idea as impractical and disconnected from the realities of party organisation.His remarks follow the Supreme Court’s ruling declaring the delegate system unconstitutional and directing political parties to adopt a more inclusive process that allows all members in good standing to participate in the selection of parliamentary and presidential candidates.The government has also endorsed the proposal in principle as part of the constitutional review process.Mr Blay argued that although political parties are expected to uphold democratic principles, their internal electoral systems should not be shaped by individuals who lack an understanding of how party structures operate.He also disputed suggestions that broadening participation would automatically eliminate corruption or undue influence in internal elections, pointing to previous reforms by the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which, he said, did not end allegations of vote-buying and manipulation.Speaking in an interview on Channel One TV, the former NPP Chairman warned that opening primaries to every registered party member could create opportunities for rival political parties to infiltrate the process.He further stressed that conducting nationwide internal elections on such a scale would impose enormous financial and logistical demands on political parties.“Gathering people, bringing them together, printing ballot papers, convening them to vote, it involves resources,” he said, adding, “If there is corruption, or if you call it influence, nothing has changed that much.”Mr Blay maintained that while reforms to strengthen internal party democracy are important, any changes to the electoral process must take into account the practical challenges political parties face in organising large-scale internal elections.