Dr Edward Omane Boamah, the Director of Elections of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), said there was an overwhelming consensus at the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) Meeting held on Monday, January 29, that any major electoral reforms must be implemented in 2028, and not in 2024.
He said the well thought through decision was to ensure that Ghana had enough time to prepare for the elections.
In a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday, Dr Omane Boama said: “At IPAC yesterday, if the political parties had accepted the November proposal, that would have meant Ghana has only eight clear months to prepare for the elections.”
The EC waited for seven years after 2016 without revisiting the issue only to resurrect the subject of voting in November when Ghana had just 10 clear months to the December 7 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections, he said.
“Why did the EC not introduce these discussions, adjustments, and amendments in 2017, 2018, 2019, or better still, why not after the 2020 elections?….”
Meanwhile the EC’s calendar of programmes and activities for the upcoming elections was not yet ready, hence it could not be released to political parties, Dr Omane Boama said.
“Why wait for January to be ending without stakeholders having the electoral calendar for the 2024 elections?”
“You don’t wait for an election year to introduce major Electoral Reforms: a year in which the EC has so much to do after an abysmal District Level (Assembly) Elections characterised by postponements after postponements, shortage of ballot papers, some Election Officer’s complicity among others.”
Recalling the Limited Registration of voters in 2023, Dr Omane said: “Did you know that another voters’ registration exercise must take place this year? Yet, because the EC’s calendar of activities is not ready, we are left guessing.”
He also mentioned the frequent breakdown of the EC’s equipment and network (system) during the limited registration exercise in 2023, which necessitated shifting to offline registration in some cases.
He said those developments cast some doubts about the procurement of services and equipment and must be investigated and fixed.
Besides, to vote for MPs in November, the EC needed amendment of the 1992 Constitution, Article 112(4).
“This amendment of a non-entrenched clause requires two-thirds of MPs to pass, meanwhile the MPs themselves must be in their constituencies for some parts of this year campaigning, and facilitating the registration of voters when the EC finally decides,” Dr Boama said.
“Not to think of the duration of the process and other germane issues the EC must bring to the front burner.”
Going forward, Dr Omane Boamah said the EC must immediately release the calendar of activities for 2024.
He recommended that the EC must be focusing on urgent and important activities that would enhance the integrity of the December 7, 2024 elections and punish its erring officials.
“As was made abundantly clear at the IPAC meeting, we do not expect the EC to wait for another election year to reintroduce this major reform of voting in November.”
He said the process must end the latest by 2027 to allow political actors enough time in 2028 to concentrate on core concerns in an election year.
In addition, the party was ready to discuss voting on worship days for a workable solution to satisfy people of faith.
