Ghana will have to amend its constitution before it organises its Presidential and Parliamentary elections on November 7 as proposed by the Electoral Commission (EC), Minority Leader Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu has said.
The Electoral Commission has given approval for the 2016 Presidential and Parliamentary elections to be held on November 7 as part of proposals for electoral reforms.
The Commission is to prepare the necessary constitutional instrument (CI) for presentation in Parliament for the elections to be moved from December 7 to November 7.
But speaking in an exclusive interview with Nyankonton Mu Nsem, the Minority Leader, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu posited that it will be a joke for anyone to make claims that Ghana will be going to the polls on November 7 when the constitution of Ghana mandates that it is organised on December 7.
The legislator said it is ridiculous for President John Dramani Mahama to go round and tell people that Ghana will go to the polls on November 7 when as a former legislator he is aware that until the constitution is amended, Ghana cannot go to the polls on the proposed date but December 7.
“It is ridiculous for President Mahama to go round telling people that we will be voting on November 7 when he knows that the Constitution has not been amended. We have not amended our constitution and so Ghana cannot go to the polls on November 7.”
Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu explained that, because Ghana organises both the Presidential and Parliamentary elections concurrently, it will be impossible to organize the elections on November 7.
“Until we amend the constitution- and we still want to run both the Presidential and Parliamentary elections on the same day- then December 7 is the only day Ghana can organize its elections.”
Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, however, added that if Parliament resumes and an amendment is done, then the November 7 voting day will be possible.
The proposal by the EC is to make room for them to be able to organize a run-off in case no candidate is able to secure the 50-plus-one vote required for a first round victory and also to make room for preparations for a handover on January 7.
A run-off is usually organised 21-days after December 7 on December 28 as stipulated in the law.
Source: GhanaWeb
