Ghana's parliament disapproves of new general election date

A new draft bill for the amendment of Ghana’s constitution to change the date for general elections from December to November has failed to garner two-thirds of the parliament’s backing on Thursday.

Bill to change #Ghana's election date from December 7 to November fails to pass in Parliament. Could not garner the needed 2/3 votes.

— Israel Laryea (@TheIsraelLaryea) July 21, 2016

Ghana’s parliament had expressed doubts about the preparedness of the country’s Electoral Commission to hold the election earlier to “enable a sufficient transition period within which one government hands over power to another after every election year”.

The Electoral Commission however told parliament that it was prepared to hold the election in November, yet only 125 members voted for the change and 95 voted against it with the rest absent, local media report.

The process for the amendment started in March after recommendations by an Electoral Reform Committee established in 2015 to propose reforms to Ghana’s electoral system as a result of recurring problems during run-off elections among others.

If parliament had approved the bill, per the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, the president shall assent to it and then the law will be implemented immediately.

Ghana is expected to hold its presidential and parliamentary elections on December 7, 2016 per the current law.