The Electoral Commission (EC) has clarified that over 50 percent of political parties have approved their proposal to hold this year’s presidential and parliamentary elections in November.
At an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting held on Monday, January 29, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and some other political parties rejected the proposal from the election management body for polls to open in November instead of the conventional December timeline.
While the NDC opposed the change, citing concerns about organising a smooth election within the proposed timeframe, the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) is yet to decide on the matter.
The Director of Elections and ICT for the NDC, Dr Edward Omane Boamah stated that the EC must be cautious with their approach.
He explained that the overwhelming consensus was that considering all that the EC has to do between now and the next presidential and parliamentary elections, the EC would be taking on more than it can handle.
“As an institution, if it wanted to add the needed parliamentary processes to change the date for the elections, it’s something that we all discussed, and we are all men and women of faith. So we take issues of religion seriously, and we felt that it’s something that should be subjected to a broader national discussion so that all shades of opinion can be factored into it for the appropriate decision to be taken.
“And with all that said, for the election day being a holiday, we felt it is not really necessary but if others think it must be done, even though we have too many holidays in the year, if others feel it must be done, it can be considered,” he said.
Mr. Boamah urged the EC to stick to the current date for the general elections, emphasising that the EC could have pushed these reforms in the previous years and not in an election year.
Speaking to JoyNews, the Deputy Chairman of the EC in charge of Corporate Services, Dr Bossman Asare stated that this new timeline will allow the election management body to easily mobilise for a runoff in case the polls end this year with no clear winner in the first round of elections.
According to him, based on what transpired at the IPAC meeting on Monday, the majority of the political parties were supportive of the change of the dates from December to November and expressed their view that if it would be possible for the EC to be able to implement it this year, that will be good.
Dr. Asare, however, stated that most of the parties suggested that if the EC is unable to implement the process this year, then it should begin in 2028.
“So in principle, all the parties that attended IPAC yesterday were for it for 2028. But for 2024, almost about 60% of the parties, more than half of the parties said if it will be possible for the EC to go through the legal processes to have it implemented this year, let’s go ahead,” he said.
Reacting to whether the EC would be able to come through on all the legal requirements and changes to be able to hold the elections in November, the EC Deputy Chairman said “Yes, very much so. Looking at our calendar, we are pretty sure that we will be able to do everything, whatever it takes to ensure that we go through the legal process.”
He clarified that the EC is not the final determinant, but the implementation has to go through the Attorney General, to the parliamentary system before it will be approved.
“But as I said, as far as we are concerned, whatever we need to do, whatever is necessary, whatever is proper that must be done to ensure that we are able to consummate it and have the elections, we are well able to do that,” Dr Asare said.
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