2024 Elections: Choose a President Who Will Acknowledge Policy Failures – Kofi Abotsi
- Elect a humble president who admits policy failures - Kofi Abotsi.
- Winner-takes-all regime increases cost of electoral defeats.
- Huge presidential powers a "tragic miscalculation".
- Identity-based voting leads to political non-performance.
Professor Kofi Abotsi, Dean of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) Law School, has urged Ghanaians to elect a president who can demonstrate humility.
He emphasized the importance of admitting policy failures, stating that it is a sign of learning and correcting mistakes.
Abotsi noted that the two leading candidates in the upcoming election are defending their records, but questioned whether they are willing to acknowledge their failures.
He believes that candidates who can demonstrate humility and admit their policy failures should be more electable.
Abotsi previously called for a reevaluation of the winner-takes-all regime in Ghana, citing its negative consequences.
He explained that the winner-takes-all system increases the cost of electoral defeats, threatening the entire country.
Abotsi argued that this system leads to a cycle of “winner takes all” mentality, making elections a matter of life and death for candidates and their followers.
He emphasized the need for a rethink of governance, nation-building, and elections to address this issue.
Abotsi also criticized the huge powers vested in the president, stating that the framers of the 1992 constitution had envisioned a “philosopher king” who is wise, knowledgeable, altruistic, and competent.
He concluded by highlighting the problem of identity-based voting, where parties rely on ethnicity and strongholds rather than performance, leading to political non-performance.
