Nana Addo and Jean Mensa
President William Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo underscored the paramount importance of upholding the integrity of Ghana’s electoral process. With the upcoming December elections on the horizon, the President’s remarks carry significant weight as the nation prepares for this pivotal moment in its democratic journey.
Williams Addo Dankwa made the admonishment in his final state of the nation address to parliament on Tuesday February 27.
Speaking directly to the Jean Mensah led Electoral Commission, President Akufo-Addo emphasized the need for a robust organizational framework that guarantees credible elections. He stressed that while the government is committed to facilitating the Commission’s work, ultimate responsibility lies with the Electoral Commission to ensure a smooth and transparent electoral process.
Acknowledging the challenges inherent in organizing elections, President Williams called for collaboration between the Electoral Commission and political parties. He applauded the Commission for engaging with various stakeholders and expressed satisfaction that plans to change the election date of 7th December had been shelved following discussions with political parties.
‘Politics has been described as the art of the possible,” remarked President Akufo-Addo, ‘and it should not be beyond us to resolve any issues that arise and focus on building a prosperous nation.’
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to upholding democratic principles, President Akufo-Addo pledged to do everything in his power to ensure transparent, free, and fair elections. He emphasized the need to safeguard Ghana’s reputation and uphold the free will of its citizens throughout the electoral process.
The Jean Adukwei Mensa-led Electoral Commission (EC) has swiftly responded to the President’s call by releasing the calendar for the 2024 elections. The Commission announced that nominations of candidates for this year’s presidential and parliamentary elections will be accepted from September 9 to 13. Subsequently, balloting for positions on the presidential ballot paper will take place on September 23, 2024, followed by parliamentary balloting on September 24, 2024. Additionally, the EC aims to declare the results of the 2024 Presidential polls within three days of the voting exercise, provided everything goes according to plan.
For voter registration, the Electoral Umpire has allocated May 7 to May 27, 2024, with countrywide card replacement beginning on May 30, 2024. A 56-day public education campaign on the registration process will precede these activities, running from April 1 to May 26, 2024. The EC plans to submit the provisional voters’ register to political parties between July 9 and 18, 2024, and conduct an exhibition of the voters register from July 15 to 24, 2024. The final voters register is expected to be submitted to political parties between August 30 and September 5, 2024.
While the Electoral Commission has committed to declaring the presidential results within three days (72 hours), it maintains its stance on retaining the controversial Regional Collation Centres introduced in 2020 for announcing results at the regional level.
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