DEABATE ON CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT BILL 2016 DEFERRED

 Debate on the Constitution Amendment Bill 2016 that seeks to change the date of election from 7^th December to the first Monday of November has been deferred on the Floor of Parliament. 

The debate has been advertised on two occasions but has been postponed due to what the leader ship termed uncleared issues. 

The Speaker of Parliament Edward Doe Adjaho reminded that House of the importance of the Bill and urged the leadership to do well to open the debate for the early passage of the Bill.

Currently, the date set aside in respect of the conduct of both presidential and parliamentary elections in the country is December 7, while the swearing-in of the elected President is January 7 of the following year.

However, concerns have been raised that the one-month period for the transition of one government to another, is insufficient for a smooth transition, especially in instances of a run-off as was the case in the years 2000 and 2008.

In the light of the apparent weakness in the electoral system and following the election petition in 2012, the Electoral Reform Committee was established on January 23, 2015, to propose reforms to the country’s electoral system.

The committee comprised representatives of the EC.

Recommendations of the reform committee

One of the recommendations made by the committee was a change in the date for the conduct of elections from December 7 to the first Monday in November in an election year.

The committee specified that, the elections should be held on the first Monday in November in an election year, in order to have elections on a specific day such as Monday, instead of having elections on a specific date.

Reference was made to the United States of America (USA), where elections are fixed for the second Tuesday of November of an election year.

According to the committee, holding the presidential and parliamentary elections in November would allow for sufficient time between elections and the handover of power to an incoming government.

That would also ensure a smooth transition and reduce acrimony and prevent the chaotic situation where former ministers of state are recalled to provide information to the incoming government on matters of the state.

The committee further stated that, the reason for choosing the first Monday of November would prevent the inconvenience associated with some days of the week which had the tendency of affecting voter turnout, such as Friday or Sunday.