Changing the close of polls from 5 pm to 3 pm will disenfranchise eligible voters on Election Day – Majority Leader

The Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has advised the Electoral Commission (EC) to stick to the 5 p.m. end-of-polls schedule during general elections.

Despite the proposal by the EC to change the time of polls to 3 p.m., the Suame MP believes it would disenfranchise eligible voters on election day.

His remarks follow comments made by the EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa, to the effect that the electoral body is considering changing the close polls in the 2024 general elections.

While addressing participants at an inter-party dialogue and stock-taking conference organised by the National Peace Council in Accra last Thursday, the EC said the change in time aims to facilitate the transparent and orderly collation of votes by electoral officers in broad daylight.

But the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu stressed the need for the 5 pm schedule must be maintained.

He said this while debating the 2024 budget approval for the Electoral Commission, said

“The attempt to reduce voting time from 5 pm to 3 pm again we should interrogate it. I believe it is too early for the EC to do it. [On Tuesday] when I went to vote, the materials had not been assembled yet even though I got there at 8:15, I had to stay until 9:20 to start voting, already two hours wasted.

“We didn’t have to bring the conclusion from 5 pm to 3 pm. Then the voters would have lost about four hours…So let’s all stick to the 5 pm of voting,” he said.