The Electoral Commission (EC) has justified its proposal to change the date for both Presidential and Parliamentary elections from December 7 to November 7, 2024. The EC stated that the proposal, initially put forth by the political parties, aims to allow sufficient time for the commission to effectively manage its operations, particularly in the event of a run-off.
The proposals were put forward during the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting held on Monday, January 22, 2024. The EC also wants election days to be designated as national holidays to boost public participation in the electoral process. The Deputy Commissioner of the Commission, Bossman Asare, said discussions would continue next week.
“The people who attended the IPAC meeting made it very clear that this is something they are in full support of; they are in sync with the EC. But it also requires that they go back and report to their party leadership to hear their views so that when they come to present the official position of their parties. This is something we are ready to meet them next week again for another meeting because we made it clear that this proposal came from you, and we think it is the right time to implement it.”
“We want to know what you think. If the parties say it’s not something they are interested in, the EC doesn’t have a problem at all. We are not doing it for ourselves; we are doing it for Ghana’s democracy and the political parties. And the parties believe this is something good for our democracy,” the Deputy Commissioner of the Electoral Commission said on Joy FM.
Background
The Seventh-Day Adventist Church had earlier requested for this year’s election date to be changed. In a petition to the Electoral Commission and the Attorney General, the church stated that the date, which falls on a Saturday, conflicts with the Sabbath—a holy day they’ve dedicated to the worship of God.
The church is proposing the adoption of “the first (1st) or second (2nd) Tuesday of November” as the new date for Ghana’s general elections, which it said needs to be codified to guarantee Adventists the freedom to worship.
By: Citi Newsroom
