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The Electoral Commission (EC) has disclosed that its plan to shift the date of general elections from December 7 to November may not be implemented this year.
Eric Asare Bossman, the Deputy EC Chairman in charge of Corporate Services, has mentioned that the required legislation for this alteration will be presented to Parliament in the near future.
“So within the last few months, this is something the commission is going to trigger. That was agreed with the political parties that in the event we cannot marshal the forces of IPAC to have it in November in 2024, the commission should take steps to ensure that in 2028, we are going to have it in November,” he said at the launch of JoyNews’ 2024 Election coverage.
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The Deputy EC Chairman, Eric Asare Bossman, has provided clarification regarding the proposed change in the date for general elections. He emphasized that if the change is approved, the new date will be a selected day in November, rather than specifically November 7, which had been widely speculated.
This indicates that the exact date within the month of November is yet to be determined and will be specified in the legislation and subsequent announcements by the Electoral Commission.
“This must be clear, we were not talking about November 7. At the IPAC meeting, the decision was a day in November. So it can be the first Monday, a second Monday, a third Monday or Tuesday or Friday or Thursday.”
In January, the Electoral Commission (EC) put forward a proposal to shift the election date from December to November and suggested that election days be designated national holidays. These proposals were discussed during the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting held on January 22, 2024. The EC’s rationale behind the proposal was that conducting elections earlier in November could increase civic engagement and fortify democratic values.
However, there were differing opinions on the proposed changes. Some Ghanaians, including the National Democratic Congress (NDC), expressed disagreement with the proposal. They argued that any significant electoral reforms should be implemented starting from November 2028, based on a previous consensus reached among stakeholders.
The concerns raised by the NDC and other individuals highlight the ongoing debate and differing perspectives surrounding the proposal to change the election date and designate election days as national holidays. The final decision on these proposals will depend on further discussions, stakeholder input, and potential legislative changes.