The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana has backed down on the proposal to change the date for the 2024 general elections from December 7 to November 7 after fierce opposition from the National Democratic Congress.
Dr. Eric Bossman Asare, Deputy Chairman in charge of Corporate Services at the EC, said that the date for the 2024 general election remains December 7 but may change in subsequent elections.
“We had a meeting with our political parties and one of the major parties indicated clearly that they do not support the change of date from December to November in 2024. The commission has resolved that we are going to have the elections come December 7,” Dr. Bossman Asare said to Joy News.
He however indicated that the date for the general election in Ghana may change in subsequent events.
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“It was agreed with the political parties, that in the event we cannot marshal the forces of IPAC to have it in November 2024, the Commission should take steps to ensure that in 2028, we are going to have it in November. 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, Tuesday, Friday, or Thursday,” he added.
Dr. Asare also mentioned that the proposal to do away with the indelible ink has also been withdrawn.
The Electoral Commission had proposed the change of the date and presented it to the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting held on Monday, January 22, 2024, as part of efforts to improve the electoral system.
These new discussions come after an earlier petition from the leadership of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church to the Attorney-General’s office to sponsor a bill that will amend the Saturday, December 7, 2024 election day, indicating that it is the Sabbath Day meant for worshipping God.
