Parliament Likely to Approve November 7 Voting Date for 2016 Elections and Beyond

The Ghana Electoral Commission has moved the Election Day, a month earlier to allow smooth transition. That means voting will take place on November 7 instead of December 7. Parliament will play a crucial role in finally changing the date when the House resumes sitting.
Parliament has however given the strongest indication of aiding in the processes required to change the voting date for general elections.
Spokespersons for the EC say the reason for the date change is to provide time for the EC to organize a run-off election should the need arise.
According to the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, candidates need to secure 50%, plus one vote, to win an outright first round run.
If none of the candidates are able to achieve this, the constitution calls for a run-off between the top 2 candidates within 21 days of the first poll.
The chairman of the parliamentary select committee on subsidiary legislation, O.B Amoah, told The Accra Report the move is a step in the right direction.
“It will take us about five months to amend the constitution to accommodate the change but thankfully, that provision of the constitution is not entrenched.
“So the executive, specifically the Attorney General will have to bring the amendment to parliament. We all seem to agree that it’s time to change the date to allow for run-offs, especially for the presidential elections and handovers. You wouldn’t want the entire process to be conscripted,” he said.