Ghana’s presidential
election will now be held on December 7, after parliament voted against an
amendment to push the vote forward by one month, the electoral commission said
on Friday
Lawmakers late on
Thursday rejected a bill seeking to change the date for the polls from December
7 to the first Monday of November for every election year.
“Despite the
demonstration of our preparedness to deliver a credible and world-class
elections on the proposed November 7 date, parliament in its wisdom has decided
not to pass the amendment,” the electoral commission said in a statement.
“The outcome of the
voting therefore sets December 7, 2016 as the day for our presidential and
parliamentary elections,” it added.
The electoral body
said the change in date would not affect its “commitment to deliver a free,
fair, transparent and credible elections this year”.
Proponents of the
amendment believed an earlier vote would allow for enough time for any election
disputes and possible presidential run-offs to be held before inauguration.
National Democratic
Congress (NDC) leader President John Dramani Mahama is seeking a second,
five-year term against Nana Akufo-Addo, of the main opposition New Patriotic
Party (NPP).
Last week, Ghana’s
electoral chief Samuel Tettey said the commission would be ready for the polls
on either November 7 or December 7.
Some 56,000 names on
the electoral register have been expunged after opposition claims the list was
bloated with names of foreigners and minors.
Re-registration
began this week.
0 Comments