The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has expressed the need for the Electoral Commission (EC) to reassure Ghanaians that its proposed 3 pm closing time for the 2024 elections will not lead to voter disenfranchisement.
The EC had earlier defended its decision to shift the closing time from 5:00 pm to 3:00 pm, citing the aim of ensuring a transparent and orderly collation of votes in daylight.
Speaking at an inter-party dialogue organized by the National Peace Council in Accra, EC Chairperson Jean Mensa highlighted that the proposal was based on lessons learned from the 2020 elections, where around 70 percent of voting centers saw minimal activity by 1:00 pm.
In an interview, Richard Ahiagbah, the Director of Communications for the NPP, conveyed the party’s cautious optimism about the proposal. He mentioned that the NPP would accept the change if the EC could assure them that voters would not face any issues and that none would be turned away.
“We receive that with some cautious optimism, to the extent that the EC can provide us with the necessary comfort that electorates would not be found wanting on the day of the election. But assuming that they provide that comfort for us, it is ideal for us to be able to close the polls early so that collation and things that need to be done to prepare results are done in daylight before dark.”
“So I think that is the import of that proposal that we first need to be sure that it will not result in people being turned away,” he stated.
