Chief Justice Nominee, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, has proposed that Ghana’s general elections be held on November 7 instead of the traditional December 7, to allow sufficient time for election petitions to be heard and determined before the inauguration of a new government.
He made the comments during his vetting by Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Monday, November 10, 2025, in response to concerns about the lengthy nature of electoral dispute resolutions.
Currently, Ghana’s elections take place on December 7, with the new government inaugurated on January 7 — a one-month window that, in practice, makes it nearly impossible for an aggrieved political party to have its petition concluded with the new administration already in office.
According to Justice Baffoe-Bonnie, moving the election date a month earlier would help both political parties and the judiciary address disputes in a timely and transparent manner.
“After the election petition, we came to the conclusion that it should be possible to have petitions concluded before January 7, which is the inauguration day. The best suggestion that came up was to hold elections on November 7 or 8,” he explained.
He elaborated that if elections were conducted in early November, results could be declared by November 10, giving the country about 57 days — from mid-November to early January — to handle potential legal challenges.
“Assuming we go by the 42-day window provided by CI 99, petitions can be filed, responded to, and tried within that period,” he added.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie also advocated for the use of electronic service of court documents, arguing that it could significantly cut down delays caused by the manual serving of processes on respondents.
“Every originating process has to be served personally on the respondent. But in this age, we can use digital addresses or phone numbers for online contact. If petitions are served electronically, it can take three days instead of a week,” he said.
He emphasised that with such adjustments, all processes could be completed by November 30, allowing trials to conclude within two weeks — ensuring fairness and efficiency in electoral dispute resolution.
