Kwame Jantuah, a private legal practitioner, has urged the Electoral Commission (EC) to be cautious implementing the proposed electoral reforms for the 2024 elections
The proposed changes involve moving the presidential and parliamentary elections from 7 December to 7 November.
However, Jantuah emphasises the need for delayed implementation, citing a need for a comprehensive explanation of the potential impact of the electoral reforms.
During the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting held on 29 January 2024, the EC engaged with political parties to discuss the proposed shift in the election date.
Speaking on The Forum on Asaase 99.5 Saturday (3 February), Jantuah expressed his alignment with the reforms but urged caution in executing them during the upcoming 2024 elections.
“I am in favour; however, I don’t think we should do it in 2024 , because, with all the things you read, how many people know the impact of those changes? And that is one thing I think the Electoral Commission should try and do.”
He also called on the EC to break down technicalities, providing examples and illustrating the cause-and-effect scenarios.
Jantuah emphasised that the Electoral Commission’s responsibility extends beyond political parties to encompass citizens hence a need for the public to understand the reasoning behind electoral reforms in the country.
“Yeah, some of them they told us, opaque boxes they told us, but some of the ones you read out, some are very technical, they should bring it down and explain to people. We want to change this because A, B, C, D, E, these are some of the examples we´ve seen; this is what happened when we didn´t do X, Y, Z. Then people also understand because the Electoral Commissioner is there not only for political parties but [she] is there for the citizens to handle elections. So the changes that they make, they should try and explain them …”
Addressing the stance of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Jantuah suggested that while they [NDC] may not oppose the reforms, they expressed concerns about the tight timeframe for the implementation.
He acknowledged Ghana’s commitment to updating electoral processes in real-time, praising the country’s ability to embrace change for the betterment of democracy.
“I don’t think they are in opposition to it; they feel there is not enough time to do some of the things that the EC is talking about.
“But our electoral system and the laws that govern our electoral system are in real-time, and that is one thing we should congratulate Ghana for. The fact that we’ve been able to bring in new things, and it’s an ongoing thing; any Electoral Commissioner that comes in, new things are happening, and it’s good for our democracy.”
Reporting by Leroy Hawkson in Accra
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