The office of the National Chief Imam has welcomed the suggestions put forward by the Seventh Day Adventist Church (SDA), advocating for a reconsideration of the date for general elections in Ghana, currently set for December 7.
In their petition to the Electoral Commission (EC), the Seventh Day Adventist Church expressed concerns that their members might face disenfranchisement because the election day falls on a Saturday, a day observed for the worship of God according to their religious beliefs.
In addition to requesting a change in the election date, the church is calling for legislative measures to ensure that future elections in the country do not coincide with religiously significant days.
In an interview with JoyNews, Dr. Solace Asafo, the Director for Public Affairs and Religious Liberty for the Seventh Day Adventist Church, provided additional details on their efforts to address concerns related to the election date. Besides submitting a petition to the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr. Asafo mentioned that the church has engaged in discussions with the National Chief Imam on this matter.
As a potential solution, Dr. Asafo indicated that the church has proposed alternative dates for the election to the EC. One of the suggested alternatives is holding the election on the first Tuesday or any Tuesday in November or December of 2024.
“It’s still a conflict because sometimes you stand in the queue on election day for a long time before you get to cast your vote and so that’s why we are advocating for.
“We’ve met with the Chief Imam, we’ve written to all the religious major organizations, we’ve met with all the political parties as well. So it’s not just demanding a change for some of the Adventists, but we think that it should not be held on any religious day.
“And our choice of Tuesday is also because traditionally, along the coast, most fishers folks don’t go fishing on Tuesday. So we think that it caters for everybody’s interests,” she said.
The spokesperson for the National Chief Imam, in response, has affirmed support for the Seventh Day Adventist’s proposal to reconsider the election date, recognizing the potential challenges the Muslim community would encounter if elections were scheduled on a Friday—a sacred day of worship in Islam.
Highlighting the significance of respecting the sacred days of various religions, the spokesperson emphasized the importance of democratic processes that allow all citizens the opportunity to participate in voting without compromising their religious practices.
“The Holy Quran makes it very clear that whenever the call to prayer is made on Friday, it says to stop any other worldly activity and hasten the remembrance of God.
“You cannot sacrifice the prayer so that you go and cast your vote because, for us, it’s a law in Islam. Our challenge is just at the time of our prayer and no Muslim will sacrifice the Friday prayer to go and cast because it’s it is seen as a mundane activity.
“For us, if we succeed in really getting a compromised day in which nobody’s religious practice is compromised or nobody’s religious right is undermined, I think that it will go a long way to also continue to unify us as a nation,” he said.