The National Chairman of Ghana's National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has called on the Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) Church and other religious bodies to support a constitutional amendment to fix presidential and parliamentary elections on a Tuesday. This appeal was made during the centenary celebration of the SDA Church at Sekyedumase in the Ashanti Region. Mr. Nketiah noted that the current electoral schedule often conflicts with the worship days of various religious groups.
The issue of election dates has been a recurring challenge in Ghana. Article 63(2)(a) and Article 112(4) of the 1992 Constitution require presidential and parliamentary elections to be held within a specific window before the expiration of the tenure of the President and Parliament. The Electoral Commission is empowered to fix the exact date by Constitutional Instrument (C.I.). However, this has led to controversies when the scheduled date falls on a day of worship for certain religious groups.
In the past, the Muslim community and other Christian denominations have made similar appeals whenever polling days coincided with their days of worship, such as Friday or Sunday. The SDA Church and the Saviour Church of Ghana had petitioned Mr. Nketiah to support calls for the Electoral Commission to shift the 2024 general elections away from Saturday, which is their day of worship. An amendment fixing the voting day on a Tuesday could resolve this recurring controversy.
The debate over election days is not new in Ghana. Ahead of the 2024 elections, the SDA Church petitioned the Electoral Commission to change the date because December 7, 2024, fell on a Saturday. The Electoral Commission declined, citing that the date was already fixed by law and that adequate arrangements had been made. The Commission had previously proposed changing the election date to the first Tuesday in November to allow more time for a potential run-off and a smoother transition.
Fixing a weekday, such as the second or last Tuesday in November or December, has been advocated by the Electoral Commission, religious groups, and civil society as a way to deal with both the religious conflict and the transition period concerns. However, any such change would require an amendment to the entrenched provisions of the Constitution under Article 290, which involves a referendum and at least 75% parliamentary approval.
The SDA Church has announced plans to establish a College of Education at Sekyedumase, as part of its ongoing activities. During the centenary celebration, Mr. Nketiah urged the leadership of the SDA Church and other religious bodies to push for the proposed 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 major religion in Ghana.
The proposed constitutional amendment has the potential to resolve the recurring controversy surrounding election dates in Ghana. With the support of the SDA Church and other religious bodies, the NDC chairman hopes to see a change that would allow citizens to exercise their civic duty without conflicting with their religious obligations. The issue is expected to continue to be a topic of discussion in the country's ongoing efforts to reform its electoral system.
Key points
- - The proposed amendment aims to fix the voting day on a Tuesday to avoid conflicts with religious worship days. - The current electoral schedule is governed by Article 63(2)(a) and Article 112(4) of the 1992 Constitution. - Any change to the election date would require a constitutional amendment under Article 290, involving a referendum and at least 75% parliamentary approval.
