He called for a fixed term of six-year tenure for the chairman of the elections management body.

Speaking in an interview on Monday, the former speak­er and Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya explained that the appointment of the EC chairman had always been met with opposition from the two main political parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), depending on which party was in power as of the time of the  appointment.

As a solution to this challenge, Prof. Oquaye suggested that; “Every Electoral Commission chairman, duly appointed by the President in accordance with the constitution, has always brought difficulties from the two compet­ing political parties.

“If we know of other alterna­tives, can we suggest them so we can have our peace?

“In some countries, for exam­ple, the competing political parties themselves elect one person each to the commission.”

He urged that; “The Commis­sion members being quite inde­pendent, not elected by president or anyone, will then choose a chairperson, so that the work of the commission is collegial and collective, then they are satisfied.”

“In some places, you will find the situation whereby the EC boss is for a fixed term, six years, it recently happened in Nigeria. So that after doing a particular work you go, so that in choosing the EC boss it is usually a retired profes­sor or a professor about to retire, a judge who is just part of the system, and then you do that work for six years, and then you leave.”

“In other words, there is no end to wisdom with regards to what we have got now, nomination by the President.

“All these I believe should be examined, if we should have a peaceful political terrain that is what I have been saying.”