Electoral Commission (EC) has revealed that over 50 percent of political parties have given their nod to the proposal for holding this year's presidential and parliamentary elections in November, as opposed to the usual December schedule.

During an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting on Monday, January 29, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and some other political parties, including those opposing the change, expressed reservations about the proposed time frame. The NDC, particularly, raised concerns about the feasibility of organizing a smooth election within the suggested schedule.

While the NDC opposed the proposal, the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has not yet made a final decision on the matter.

Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, the Director of Elections and ICT for the NDC, urged caution on the part of the EC. He emphasized that considering the extensive tasks that the EC needs to accomplish between now and the upcoming elections, taking on the proposed schedule might overwhelm the commission.

“As an institution, if it wanted to add the needed parliamentary processes to change the date for the elections, it's something that we all discussed, and we are all men and women of faith. So we take issues of religion seriously, and we felt that it’s something that should be subjected to a broader national discussion so that all shades of opinion can be factored into it for the appropriate decision to be taken.

"And with all that said, for the election day being a holiday, we felt it is not really necessary but if others think it must be done, even though we have too many holidays in the year, if others feel it must be done, it can be considered,” he said.

Mr. Boamah urged the EC to stick to the current date for the general elections, emphasising that the EC could have pushed these reforms in the previous years and not in an election year.

Speaking in an interview, the Deputy Chairman of the EC in charge of Corporate Services, Dr Bossman Asare stated that this new timeline will allow the election management body to easily mobilise for a runoff in case the polls end this year with no clear winner in the first round of elections.

According to him, based on what transpired at the IPAC meeting on Monday, the majority of the political parties were supportive of the change of the dates from December to November and expressed their view that if it would be possible for the EC to be able to implement it this year, that will be good.

Dr. Asare, however, stated that most of the parties suggested that if the EC is unable to implement the process this year, then it should begin in 2028.

"So in principle, all the parties that attended IPAC yesterday were for it for 2028. But for 2024, almost about 60% of the parties, more than half of the parties, said if it will be possible for the EC to go through the legal processes to have it implemented this year, let's go ahead,” he said.

Reacting to whether the EC would be able to come through on all the legal requirements and changes to be able to hold the elections in November, the EC Deputy Chairman said “Yes, very much so. Looking at our calendar, we are pretty sure that we will be able to do everything, whatever it takes to ensure that we go through the legal process."

He clarified that the EC is not the final determinant, but the implementation has to go through the Attorney General, to the parliamentary system before it will be approved.

“But as I said, as far as we are concerned, whatever we need to do, whatever is necessary, whatever is proper that must be done to ensure that we are able to consummate it and have the elections, we are well able to do that," Dr Asare said.