A former Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has called for a constitutional amendment to change Ghana’s general election date from December 7 to an earlier month.
That, he said, would provide sufficient time for a smoother, more orderly transfer of power between administrations.
GAAS week
He made the call last Wednesday at a symposium organised by the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) as part of its Founders Week celebration. Speaking on the theme,
“Navigating Political Transitions in Ghana: Issues and Lessons,” Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said the current electoral timetable left little room for comprehensive transitional arrangements.
When elections are held on December 7, with a possible run-off on December 28, he said it provided only a few days before the January 7 inauguration.
That, he said, often resulted in what he described as a “democratic sprint” rather than a carefully managed transition.
EC empowerment
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, therefore, proposed that the Constitution be reviewed to empower the Electoral Commission (EC) to set an election date, preferably in October.
He said that would allow for sufficient time to prepare handover notes, complete security briefings and ensure administrative continuity before a new government assumes office.
“The Electoral Commission could set the election day for the first Tuesday or even the first Monday in October to take advantage of the weekend. In that case, if there should be a run-off, it would happen on the fourth week of October,” he suggested.
He further argued that the two-month interval between elections and inauguration would enable both the outgoing and incoming administrations to work together towards national stability.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu also called for the establishment of a permanent, adequately funded Presidential Transition Secretariat to manage year-round transition planning.
He said that would ensure that every government prepared well ahead of elections, rather than rushing after results were declared.
“A well-managed transition is far more than the democratic changing of the guard. It is the defining act of democratic self-preservation,” he said.
“The transition process is no longer about whether we obey the law, but how well we enforce it, how comprehensively we resource it, and how seriously we treat the institutional work of continuity,” he said.
He called on all political actors to commit to peaceful and professional transitions as a mark of Ghana’s democratic strength and stability.
Constitutional gaps
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu also urged Parliament to close constitutional gaps that created uncertainty in presidential and parliamentary succession.
He cited the absence of explicit provisions on what happens when a Vice-President dies or resigns, and on how the President’s term should be extended in the event of war.
He said those ambiguities undermined Ghana’s democratic resilience and required urgent reform.
