The Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho, has urged the leaders of both sides of parliament to work collectively so the\u00a0debate on the constitutional amendment Bill that seeks to change the dates for Ghana’s general election.<\/p>\n
The Bill seeks to amend Article 112 (4) of the 1992 Constitution, to change the country\u2019s date of election from December 7th to the first Monday of November in election years.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”bDeg66tGON4nbMzvHjrcPIg4KMlEKUVn”]The second reading of the bill has been on the programme of parliament, but has not been deliberated upon yet.<\/p>\n
The debate on the bill is however expected to begin today [Thursday].<\/p>\n
Speaking on Wednesday, the Speaker, Edward Doe Adjaho, called on the house to attach a sense of urgency to the Bill considering it effects on the elections and democracy.<\/p>\n
He explained that, debating the Bill quickly was critical “because there are consequences flowing from whatever decision this House will take with regards to the motion.\u00a0The earlier that decision is taken by the House, the better for everybody, the better for all of us [MPs] , the better for the political parties and the better for the Electoral Commission,\u201d the Speaker stated.<\/p>\n
Lingering doubts over bill<\/strong><\/p>\n The Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament recommended the passage of the Constitutional\u00a0Amendment Bill 2016, but a ranking member of the committee has suggested that the November 7 date tabled for the general elections, is still shrouded in uncertainty.<\/p>\n The ranking member, Joseph Osei-Owusu, argued that the Electoral Commission (EC) is so far not financially resourced<\/a><\/strong><\/span> to conduct the polls on November 7.<\/p>\n He cited delays in the procurement of election materials and training of election officers as some of the many reasons why the polls on the new date might not be feasible.<\/p>\n