The Chairperson of Ghana’s Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa, has suggested shifting the date for both presidential and parliamentary elections from December 7 to November 7.
Additionally, the EC is advocating for election days to be designated as national holidays.
These proposals were presented during an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting held on Monday, January 22, 2024.
The Electoral Commission has put forth these suggestions to stimulate discussions on potential improvements to the electoral process.
Emphasising the benefits of an earlier than December election month, the Commission said that declaring election days as national holidays could encourage increased civic engagement and foster a more robust democratic culture.
A recent proposal for changing the election date has come from the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
In a petition to the Electoral Commission and the Attorney General, the church said that the December 7, 2024 voting day, which falls on a Saturday, conflicts with the Sabbath—a holy day they dedicate to the worship of God.
The church is therefore recommending the adoption of “the first (1st) or second (2nd) Tuesday of November” as the new date for Ghana’s general elections, seeking codification to ensure Adventists’ freedom to worship.