Why can't we agree to suspend 2020 elections? - Kwesi Pratt

Seasoned journalist, Kwesi Pratt has called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and former President John Dramani Mahama to come to a consensus over the upcoming general elections due to the threat of COVID-19 in the country.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) has had a devastating impact on Ghana as the country's case count keeps increasing on almost a daily basis.

Ghana began with two (2) cases of the disease in March and four months later, it has shot up to over 25000 cases. Specifically, Ghana has recorded 25,252, 21,397 recoveries and 139 deaths.

Despite the spike in the COVID-19 cases, the Electoral Commission (EC) continues to conduct the voters' registration exercise aimed at compiling a new register for the 2020 elections.

Some political figures and Ghanaians have raised red flag over the ongoing exercise, arguing that the EC is risking the lives of citizenry and called on the Commission to suspend the exercise.

The EC also holds that now is the opportune time for the exercise and postponing it might affect the upcoming elections or as some political analysts indicate, it might call for the old voters' register to be used for the elections which is impossible because it will have judicial consequences.

Making his submissions on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo', Kwesi Pratt called on the election stakeholders to prioritize the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic over any other thing.

He told host Kwami Sefa Kayi that the disease is "an emergency of extraordinary proportions. It's a national and international emergency of extraordinary proportions".

According to him, since Ghana is not in normal times, it is prudent to set aside the 1992 constitution which makes provision for the Presidential elections to be held on December 7th every four years.

He admonished the leaders in the country to take critical decisions to protect the people of Ghana.

"This constitution, we can even decide to set it aside . . . If, as a people, we cannot think beyond our political parties, then we should die. The reality is that by 7th January, 2021, if we don't vote, there will be no government. There will be a vacuum. When you look into the constitution, the constitution does not make adequate provision for that vacuum. So, we should have started thinking long ago."

"Are we not the ones who made the constitution? So, if we can get to a point where Parliament, all political parties, Chiefs and all the national institutions will come together and we all have a unanimous decision; why can't we make an interim arrangements?" he questioned.

"But this issue of Mahama wanting to be a President and this or that person doesn't want to abdicate his seat and so on, is this what is going to guide us face this pandemic? If that is the issue, then let stay in the pandemic and die," he fumed.