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President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed his commitment to Ghana’s democracy, stressing that he has no intention of becoming an autocrat.
His remarks come in response to concerns that he has assumed the role of a supreme leader, given his two-thirds (2/3) majority in Parliament and the recent removal of former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo. These concerns have been further heightened by petitions seeking the removal of the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa, along with her two (2) deputies.
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Speaking at a Presidential Media Encounter on Wednesday, September 10, President Mahama assured that he remains dedicated to democratic principles, highlighting that Ghanaians entrusted his government with an overwhelming parliamentary majority to enact reforms, not to undermine democratic freedoms.
He declared:
Look in my face. Do I look like a supreme leader? And that is, to paraphrase Professor Atta Mills, do I look like a cat hunter? Do I look like a supreme leader? I'm a democrat, through and through. Even when we attained two-thirds of Parliament, I said that we were not going to use it to ride roughshod over the minority. We are going to give democracy the opportunity to flourish.
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He continued:
We believe that even though the people of Ghana gave us that overwhelming majority, it was not meant to turn Ghana into a dictatorship. They gave it to us so we could carry out reforms to improve governance. With this two-thirds majority, we stand a very good chance of finally pushing through the constitutional amendments that Ghanaians have long demanded.
President John Mahama
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President Mahama emphasised that the parliamentary majority will be used to advance constructive constitutional reforms aimed at safeguarding democracy and improving the lives of future generations. He dismissed suggestions of authoritarianism, stressing that he has no desire to become a supreme leader or an autocrat.