The United Party (UP Plus) has proposed sweeping constitutional reforms aimed at abolishing presidential runoff elections in Ghana, advocating instead for a coalition-based system of governance when no candidate secures an outright majority in the first round.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s “The Big Issue” on Saturday, October 18, UP Plus General Secretary Yaw Buaben Asamoa outlined the party’s long-term agenda anchored on two main pillars: economic revival and constitutional restructuring.
He said UP Plus seeks to present a credible and lasting alternative to Ghana’s two major political parties—the NPP and NDC—which have dominated the Fourth Republic since its inception.
“We have two paths for sustainability,” Buaben Asamoa explained. “The first is economic revival and growth, which many Ghanaians are concerned about. The second, equally important, is constitutional reform for more inclusive governance.”
Citing Article 63(4) and (5) of the 1992 Constitution, which mandates a runoff election when no presidential candidate obtains more than 50 percent of the votes, Buaben Asamoa argued that the provision has entrenched the dominance of the two main parties.
“This duopoly has been reinforced by the structure of the Fourth Republican Constitution,” he said. “We are proposing that the runoff clause be removed and replaced with a coalition framework.”
Under the UP Plus proposal, if no candidate attains the 50+1 percent threshold in the first round, the leading party would be required to form a coalition government with smaller parties that supported them during the election.
“If a party reaches 50+1, they’ve earned a clear victory. But if not, the smaller parties that backed them should come together to form a coalition government,” Buaben Asamoa explained.
This proposal reflects UP Plus’s broader centrist and unifying philosophy, which prioritises inclusion, competence, and practical governance. The party, which evolved from Alan Kyerematen’s Movement for Change and was officially registered with the Electoral Commission on October 3, 2025, positions itself as a “third force” in Ghanaian politics.
“We are an emergent force, not the only third force,” Buaben Asamoa said. “This is not Alan Kyerematen’s personal party—it is a movement uniting Ghanaians around national issues, particularly the economy.”
UP Plus Director of Communications Solomon Owusu added that the party aims to unite capable individuals from across the political spectrum and civil society to build a government based on merit and integrity.
Party Chairman Abubakar Saddique Boniface has pledged that UP Plus will champion transformational leadership, while Alan Kyerematen has described the movement as marking a “new dawn” in Ghanaian politics.
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Source:Africa Publicity
