The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has urged the Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) Church and other religious organisations to support an amendment to Ghana’s 1992 Constitution that would permanently set presidential and parliamentary elections on a Tuesday.
Speaking at the SDA Church’s centenary celebration in Sekyedumase in the Ashanti Region, Mr Asiedu Nketiah said a fixed weekday would prevent elections from repeatedly clashing with important days of worship.
He recalled receiving petitions from the SDA Church and the Saviour Church of Ghana before the 2024 general elections, asking him to support efforts to move the poll from Saturday, which is the Sabbath observed by SDA members.
He said the Muslim community and other Christian denominations had made similar requests in previous years when election dates fell on Friday or Sunday.
Under Article 63(2)(a) and Article 112(4) of the Constitution, presidential and parliamentary elections must be held within a specified period before the terms of the President and Parliament expire. Article 51 gives the Electoral Commission (EC) the authority to determine the precise date through a Constitutional Instrument (C.I.).
By convention, general elections have taken place on 7th December every four years. However, that date can fall on Friday, the day of Jumu’ah prayers for Muslims, Saturday, the Sabbath for SDA members and other Adventist groups, or Sunday, the principal day of worship for most Christians.
Mr Asiedu Nketiah said the clash placed some voters in the difficult position of choosing between their religious commitments and their civic responsibility.
He argued that selecting a Tuesday as the permanent election day would settle the issue and prevent recurring disputes involving political parties, the EC and religious organisations.
“I urge the leadership of the SDA Church and other religious bodies to push for this amendment to avoid needless arguments among political parties, the Electoral Commission and affected religious bodies whenever a voting day falls on the day of worship of any of the major religions in Ghana,” he said.
The SDA Church also announced at the event that it planned to establish a College of Education at Sekyedumase.
The dispute over election dates intensified ahead of the 2024 elections, when 7th December fell on a Saturday. The SDA Church petitioned the EC to move the poll, but the commission rejected the request, saying the date was fixed by law and that adequate preparations had already been made.
In 2024, the EC proposed moving election day from 7th December to the first Tuesday in November. The change was intended to provide more time for a possible run-off and a smoother transfer of power as part of wider electoral reforms. However, it required a constitutional amendment and was not adopted because political parties failed to reach consensus.
The EC, religious groups and civil society organisations have also supported fixing elections on a weekday, such as the second or last Tuesday in November or December.
Any change would require an amendment to the Constitution’s entrenched provisions under Article 290, including a referendum and approval by at least 75% of Parliament.
