The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has disclosed that the government has accepted a proposal to require presidential election petitions to be filed within 14 days after the declaration of results and determined by the Supreme Court within 30 days.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Thursday, July 30, he noted that the proposed timelines are part of constitutional reforms aimed at ensuring the speedy resolution of electoral disputes and providing certainty in Ghana’s democratic transition process.
“On presidential election petitions, the government has accepted that a petition must be filed within 14 days of the declaration of results and determined by the Supreme Court within 30 days,” he said.
“In other words, the Constitution will be amended to specifically provide for these timelines when it comes to the electoral petitions to be filed,” he added.
Dr. Ayine further disclosed that the proposed amendments will place a constitutional obligation on the Electoral Commission to provide all relevant election data to the courts and all parties involved in an election petition.
He explained that timely resolution of electoral disputes is critical to maintaining political stability and strengthening confidence in Ghana’s democratic processes.
“We take this position because the timely resolution of election disputes inures well to the stability of our democratic transitions and to the general political stability of our country and society,” he stated.
The proposed reforms form part of recommendations by the Constitution Review Committee chaired by Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh, which seeks to amend aspects of Ghana’s 1992 Constitutional framework to improve governance and electoral processes.
