Ghana to hold elections December 7
Ghana’s presidential election will now
be held on December 7, after parliament voted against an amendment to
push the vote forward by one month, the electoral commission said on
Friday.
Lawmakers late on Thursday rejected a
bill seeking to change the date for the polls from December 7 to the
first Monday of November for every election year.
“Despite the demonstration of our
preparedness to deliver a credible and world-class elections on the
proposed November 7 date, parliament in its wisdom has decided not to
pass the amendment,” the electoral commission said in a statement.
“The outcome of the voting therefore
sets December 7, 2016 as the day for our presidential and parliamentary
elections,” it added.
The electoral body said the change in
date would not affect its “commitment to deliver a free, fair,
transparent and credible elections this year”.
Proponents of the amendment believed an
earlier vote would allow for enough time for any election disputes and
possible presidential run-offs to be held before inauguration.
National Democratic Congress (NDC)
leader President John Dramani Mahama is seeking a second, five-year term
against Nana Akufo-Addo, of the main opposition New Patriotic Party
(NPP).
Last week, Ghana’s electoral chief
Samuel Tettey said the commission would be ready for the polls on either
November 7 or December 7.
Some 56,000 names on the electoral
register have been expunged after opposition claims the list was bloated
with names of foreigners and minors.
Re-registration began this week.
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