The Electoral Commission (EC) has stated that its proposal to move the date for the country’s general elections from December 7 to November may not take effect this year.
The Deputy EC Chairman in charge of Corporate Services, Dr Asare Bossman, said the legislation required for this change to be implemented was yet to be put before Parliament.
According to him, the change of date would rather be feasible in 2028 elections, contrary to the expectations of a section of Ghanaians that it would start this year.
Dr Asare said these yesterday at an event in Accra to unveil the Multimedia Group’s programme for covering the 2024 election dubbed “Election Headquarters”.
The EC had earlier proposed the change at the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting last month, alongside considerations for designating the election days as national holidays.
Explaining the proposal, Dr Asare said it would require the declaration of election days as national holidays to increase civic engagement and contribute to the cultivation of a more robust democratic culture.
However, he said a section of Ghanaians, including the National Democratic Congress (NDC), opposed this idea on the grounds that it did not align with the consensus reached that any major electoral reforms should take effect from November 2028.
The Deputy EC Chairman explained that the new date would be a selected day in November, and not November 7 as widely speculated.
“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,” he said
BY PRECIOUS NYARKO BOAKYE