Proposal to change election date: NLC calls for national dialogue

• Stephen Atubiga

The National Liberation Congress (NLC), a new political party, has called for national dialogue on the proposed change in date for the conduct of presidential and parliamentary elections.

The NLC called for national consensus on the proposed changes, adding that discussions on the subject should move beyond the Electoral Commission and the Interparty Advisory Committee.

Addressing a news conference in Accra on Wednesday, Mr Stephen Atubiga, Founder and Leader, NLC, said the proposal by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church (SDA) “is good for our democracy.”

“Our democracy has deepened that a church is proposing a date for elections. That is good for our democracy, and we should have a dialogue and see the way forward,” he said.

The SDA Church, in a petition to the Electoral Commission, said the elections would have to be moved from the conventional December 7 because the date falls on a Saturday, which would conflict with the Sabbath, a holy day dedicated to the worship of God.

The Church said the first or second Tuesday would be more convenient to promote inclusive democracy.

The Electoral Commission has also proposed a change in the date for presidential and parliamentary elections to allow sufficient time for the Commission to effectively manage its operations, particularly in the event of a run-off.

The EC proposed November 7 for the General Election as part of its proposed electoral reforms.

Former President, John Dramani Mahama, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress has publicly kicked against the move, saying “we do not believe that this is being proposed in good faith.”

Mr Atubiga cautioned against the use of legal remedies to push for the change in the voting date instead of dialogue.

He expressed fear that if the court granted a request by the SDA, it could serve as a precedent for other faith-based organisations and institutions to push their interests.

The NLC also expressed concern over what it described as a surge in ethnocentric and tribal campaigning by representatives of some political parties.

The party said the use of inciteful language against a particular ethnic group could undermine the peace and tolerance that had existed among the various ethnic groups for decades.

Mr Atubiga urged political actors to be decorous in their utterances ahead of the elections and encouraged political parties to act against members who stoke ethnic and religious tensions.

“I call on concerned citizens, the National Peace Council, traditional and religious leaders to speak against people who campaign on religious and tribal lines,” he said.

—GNA