Chief Justice nominee Justice Paul Kwadwo Baffoe-Bonnie has suggested that Ghana’s presidential elections be held earlier in November — preferably on the 7th or 8th — to give the Supreme Court enough time to resolve any electoral disputes before the swearing-in of a new president on January 7.
Appearing before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Monday, November 11, 2025, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie noted that the current electoral timetable provides very limited time for the judiciary to handle election-related cases before inauguration day.
He explained that moving the polls forward would ensure that all legal challenges are fully settled before a new president assumes office. According to him, the proposal emerged from broad consultations among stakeholders involved in discussions on electoral justice reforms.
“We came to the conclusion that it should be possible to have the election petition concluded before 7 January, the inauguration day,”
he said. “The first suggestion that came, which we think was a masterstroke, was that we should have the elections on 7 or 8 November.”
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie added that shifting the elections to early November would provide a 57-day window between the declaration of results and the inauguration. This, he said, would be sufficient to deal with any petitions within the 42-day timeframe stipulated by Constitutional Instrument 99 (CI 99).
“If we have the elections on the 7th or the 8th of November, by the 10th the results would have been declared,”
he explained.
“That gives us 20 more days before November ends, then 31 days of December, and six days of January — a total of 57 days.”
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie, who has chaired the Election Management Committee of the Judicial Service since 2020, said the recommendation draws lessons from Ghana’s 2013 and 2020 election petitions.
He recalled that the 2013 petition lasted almost eight months, acknowledging that the inclusion of a political party as a respondent slowed the process.
He described it as “one of the greatest mistakes we made in that particular trial.”
To improve the system, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie proposed additional procedural reforms, including the electronic service of court documents to expedite hearings.
“Instead of waiting one week for the response, we can reduce that number of days to, let’s say, four,”
he said. By the time we get to about the 30th of November, pleadings would have closed, issues would have been settled, and the trial would begin.”
He emphasized that such reforms would require Parliament’s collaboration, particularly in revising legislative and constitutional instruments.
“We shall need the inputs of Parliament when it comes to LIs and CIs to be prepared,”
he told the committee.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie added that his ultimate goal is to ensure a judicial process that delivers fair, efficient, and timely justice.
“In a trial like that, we can say it should take no more than two weeks. And once two weeks are there, judgment should be given within one week,”
he concluded.
“That way, by 7 January, we will have our President who will strike the sword and swear to his people.”
