The Constitutional Review Committee’s (CRC) decision to schedule presidential elections for the first week of November has been approved by the administration.
Election petitions must be submitted within 14 days of the results being announced and decided by the Supreme Court within 30 days.
Dr. Dominic Ayine, the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, made the announcements while delivering the government’s White Paper on the recommendations made by the CRC.
Regarding the election schedule, the government agreed that presidential elections would take place on a day during the first week of November, as determined by the Electoral Commission through a constitutional document.
“We have also accepted that the presidential election be held on a day in the first week of November, as the Electoral Commission may specify by constitutional instrument. A fixed period gives certainty to the electoral calendar. It allows the commission, the parties, and observers to plan, and it ensures an adequate interval between the election and the inauguration of the incoming president on January 7,” Dr Ayine said.
The government agreed that petitions for presidential elections were to be submitted within 14 days of the results being announced and decided by the Supreme Court within 30 days.
“In other words, the constitution will be amended to specifically provide for these timelines when it comes to electoral petitions to be filed,” Dr Ayine said.
“There is going to be a constitutional obligation on the part of the Electoral Commission to disclose all relevant data to the court and to all the parties. We take this position because the timely resolution of election disputes inures well to the stability of our democratic transitions and to the general political stability of our country and society,” he added.
The suggested modifications are a component of larger constitutional amendments meant to bolster Ghana’s democratic government.
Before they may be implemented, constitutional amendment procedures must be completed.
Source: newsthemegh.com