President Akufo-Addo says the Constitution of Ghana has made no provision for the extension of the mandate of the President beyond four years and so therefore “There is no other way, and, in order to forestall any needless constitutional controversy, which could throw our nation into jeopardy, we must vote on 7th December 2020. The same applies to Parliament.
President Akufo-Addo made this known in a televised address to the nation on Monday 29th June, 2020.
He said to exercise executive power in the Ghanaian state, you must be duly elected by the Ghanaian people. You must have their freely-expressed consent on 7th January, 2021, when a duly elected person must be ready to be sworn in as President of the Republic.
He said despite the COVID pandemic, elections are being properly conducted in many nations across the globe, therefore we should not fear or be alarmed.
The President was confident that Ghana could also organise a successful general election in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic just as countries such as South Korea, Poland, Mali and Malawi have demonstrated.
He noted that the compilation of a voters’ register was the most important task in the effective functioning of any democracy and urged all eligbile citizens to go out, register, to determine the choice of government in a free, fair, peaceful and transparent election.
“Using your God-given and constitutional rights costs nothing, but staying home can come at a very steep price. The pandemic, notwithstanding, we have to strengthen Ghanaian democracy,” he added.
The President assured all eligible voters that the EC had put in place all required protocols to ensure thier safety during the exercise.
He urged all those who would be undertaking the exercise to adhere strictly to those set protocols and every other restrictions dealing with large gatherings.
