FACTCHECK: Wontumi Radio/TV presenter lied; 2024 election will be held nationwide on a single day

Claim

Oheneba Nana Asiedu, a presenter at Wontumi Radio, has claimed that the upcoming 2024 presidential election will be held on separate days.

He stated that on December 7, 2024, the election would be conducted for the first individuals on the ballot paper, including the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who holds the number 1 spot on the ballot paper.

“Dr. Bawumia is number one on the ballot, so on 7th December we are going to vote for him first. We are going to vote for the first 7 people on the ballot then after that we will vote for the remaining 7, from numbers 8, 9, 10, 11 going,” he said in Twi.

Nana Asiedu even implied that anyone who does not vote for Dr. Bawumia on Saturday, December 7, 2024, would not be permitted to vote for the other candidates on subsequent days.

“So, on 7th December we are going to vote for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and maybe the next day or two days after we would vote for the number 2 on the ballot, then we move to number 3, on a different day we would vote for number 4, this is going to be the trend.

“Because we are going to vote for the first 7 people on the ballot first, that is why we are going to vote on 7th December… If you don't vote when it is Dr. Bawumia’s turn on 7th December, you will not get the chance to vote when it gets to the turn of the other people on the ballot. The police and Electoral Commission officers would not give you the chance to vote,” he claimed.

Explanation:

Article 63 (2) gives the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) the power to set the date for presidential elections in the country.

It states that “The election of the President shall be on the terms of universal adult suffrage and shall, subject to the provisions of this Constitution, be conducted in accordance with such regulations as may be prescribed by constitutional instrument by the Electoral Commission and shall be held so as to begin- (a) where a President is in office, not earlier than four months nor later than one month before his term of office expires, and (b) in any other case, within three months after the office of President becomes vacant; and shall be held at such place and shall begin on such date as the Electoral Commission shall, by constitutional instrument, specify.”

Therefore, it is clear that the EC is responsible for setting a single date for the presidential election in Ghana.

In 1996, the EC also designated December 7 for Ghana's presidential and parliamentary elections. The only exception was in 1992 when the presidential election was held on November 3, 1992. Hence, it is evident that elections in the country are always conducted on a single day, not over multiple days.

It is important to note that the Constitution does not mandate the segregation of voting for presidential candidates on different days.

Additionally, the EC confirmed that it would not change the date of the general election from December 7 to November 2024 as previously proposed.

Deputy EC Chairman, Eric Asare Bossman, stated in February 2024 that the necessary legislation for this change would be presented to Parliament for future elections.

Verdict:

Nana Asiedu's claim that the 2024 presidential election will be held on different days is incorrect.

His assertion that candidates have been divided by the EC for voting on specific days is also false.

Furthermore, his claim that the election is scheduled for December 7 only for the first 7 candidates on the ballot is untrue.

Conclusion:

Voters should be aware that the election will take place on Saturday, December 7, 2024, and they can vote for any of the 12 presidential candidates on that day.

Additionally, parliamentary elections for all constituencies will be held on the same day, where voters will select their representatives for the 9th Parliament of Ghana.

Therefore, on December 7, 2024, there will be two elections - the presidential and parliamentary elections - and eligible voters should participate in both.

BAI/MA

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