The Electoral Commission of Ghana has revealed that it will conduct the 2024 General Elections on December 7th contrary to its proposed date of November 7th and the subsequent election in 2028 in November.
The Electoral Commission disclosed that it has reached its decision taking into account concerns raised by a major political party that it is not in favor of the change of date during a meeting the commission had with all political parties.
“So are a commission, we knowing the law requiring that to have such a change, you have to go to parliament to have two-thirds of the members of parliament approving of that particular change. The commission has resolved that we are going to have the elections come December 7th as we did in 2020”.
Dr. Bossman Asare
The first Deputy Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Dr. Bossman Asare asserted that the Commission will ensure that it conducts a credible and successful election as it did in 2020. He assured the general public that the commission is fully prepared to conduct the election in December.
Dr. Bossman Asare revealed that in an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting the commission had with all political parties, the political parties have agreed that the Electoral Commission should take the appropriate steps to implement the change of date to November in due time for the 2028 General Elections.
He clarified that the election date, if it should be changed to November, would not be on the 7th. He stated that the Electoral Commission would decide the date as it sees fit. “It could be a first Monday, a second or Monday, a third Monday or Tuesday or Friday or Thursday in November”, he stated.
The first Deputy Electoral Commissioner asserted that the commission is committed to changing the date of the general elections in the country beginning in 2028. He stated that the commission will present parliament with the legislation to that effect within the next few months.
He stated that the Electoral Commission will do its best as an autonomous body to uphold Ghana’s burgeoning democracy at the polls and to ensure Ghana remains a beacon of democracy in the sub-region (sub-Sahara)
Furthermore, the Deputy Commission spoke on the Electoral Commission’s decision to do away with the indelible ink during the election. He indicated that using an electronic identification system serves the same purpose as the indelible ink.
He stated that the EC decided to stop the use of indelible ink because it would lead to a double verification process if both electronic identification and indelible ink were used.
“But as a listening institution, we’ve heard the concerns of the general public, we’ve heard the concerns of parliamentarians across the aisle, the NPP and the NDC and Civil Society members and we’ve come to the conclusion that if by using the indelible ink people will have more confidence in process, why not”.
Dr. Bossman Asare
However, Dr. Bossman Asare emphasized that the commission remains in its conviction that the indelible ink creates a double verification. He stated that the use of indelible ink undermines the confidence Ghanaians have in the biometric system.
EC To Embark On A Registration Exercise
Dr. Bossman also disclosed that the Electoral Commission intends to have a mob-up registration exercise this year. He revealed that the EC will publish its framework of activities – which includes the date of registration – heading towards the elections by next week.
He stated that the Electoral Commission has yet to decide on the registration modality. He revealed that the EC is assessing whether to limit registration centers to District Assemblies or to extend it to polling centers and electoral areas.
The Deputy Electoral Commissioner also touted the Commission’s feat regarding voter registration. He indicated that Ghana’s Electoral Commission is the only one of its kind to have registered over 50% of its population in West Africa.
He assured that the EC is committed to ensuring that every citizen of registerable age is registered to ensure the conduct of a peaceful, credible, and transparent election. He implored the various political parties to educate their loyal supporters to safeguard a smooth election process.
To conclude the Electoral Commission has come under recent attacks regarding some decisions it took concerning the imminent December 2024 elections. The EC’s present stance on these issues shows its dedication to conducting an election that is free of doubts and producing results that will be generally accepted.
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