The Electoral Commission (EC) has clarified that its proposal to move the general election day to November 7 is unrelated to a petition by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The current December 7 date coincides with a Saturday in 2024, prompting the suggestion for a change.
Chairperson Jean Mensa, who presented the proposal at an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting on January 22, 2024, also advocated for the election day to be declared a public holiday.
Jean Mensa asserted that such a move could enhance civic engagement and contribute to a stronger democratic culture.
This aligns with a recent proposal from the Seventh-day Adventist Church, citing religious considerations for changing the election date.
The church, designating Saturday, December 7, 2024, as a day of worship, petitioned the Attorney-General’s office to amend the election day.
However, Dr. Bossman Asare, the deputy chairperson of the Electoral Commission in charge of Corporate Services, clarified that the EC had been advocating for a change in the election date long before the church’s petition.
“Let me state very clearly that it had nothing to do with what the Adventist Church brought in the form of a petition.
“This was something the Commission had thought about from 2020, but we did not have enough time to be able to put it into action in 2020. Yesterday [Monday], when we met at IPAC, we made it very clear to the parties that this was a proposal that came from the political parties themselves in 2015,” he said.
He indicated that the move to change the date for the election is to allow for more time to correct mistakes as well as adequate time for run-offs in the event that they are needed.
“The reason they gave at the time was that in the event there was a run-off, the EC will have exactly 21 days, and right after the 21 days, the next one week would be the inauguration.
“Apart from that too, we gave a reason that the time for the EC to work on organising the elections within three weeks will be very, very tight. Beyond that, the time for the inauguration you have a new government and an old government leaving office, the time will be too short,” he added.
He stated that political parties initiated the proposal in 2015, emphasizing the need for more time to address errors and accommodate potential run-offs.
The move aims to provide the EC with a 21-day window for a run-off and additional time for the inauguration process.
Mr Asare emphasized that the proposed change was not influenced by the Adventist Church’s petition but was a result of concerns raised by political parties in 2015.