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The signs were clearly on the wall. But none truly believed it was going to be possible.

On Thursday, July 21st, the Minority in Parliament, for once, had its way after it had earlier signaled it would not support a Bill which was meant to amend the country's day of going to the polls.

The highly-anticipated historic change in Ghana's election date failed to materialize when Parliament rejected amendments to move the date forward from December to November.

This follows the inability of the House to garner the needed votes to effect the historic change.

Parliament needed at least 184 YES votes for the two thirds majority in support of the amendment before it could have gone ahead to effect the date change.

Peacefm's Parliamentary Correspondent, Emmanuel Akorli reports that after a secret ballot was held, the Speaker, Rt Hon Doe Adjaho announced that the august House was unable to obtain the 184 needed to pass the bill.

"Out of the 220 members of parliament, 125 Members of the Parliament voted for the November 7 date, whiles 95 voted against it," he indicated.

Prior to the secret ballot - which was called for by the Speaker acting according to provisions under Article 104 clause 4 and Standing Order 110 - a lively debate on the floor of the House by both sides arguing for and against the November 7th date took precedence.

The Article required that voting should be by secret ballot in relation to matters of election or removal from office.

Why date change?
 
Unlike the presidential elections which the Constitution does not stipulate the period within which a new President should be elected before the expiration of the tenure of office of a sitting President, the Constitution mandates that Parliamentary elections should be organised within 30 days before the expiration of the tenure of current members.

Article 112 (4) of the Constitution states that, “…a general election of members of Parliament shall be held within thirty (30) days before the expiration of the period specified in clause (1) of that article; and a session of Parliament shall be appointed to commence within fourteen (14) days after the expiration of that period.”

The swearing-in of new members of Parliament in Ghana is usually on January 7.

This means that before the EC can move the elections to November 7 from the usual December 7, giving it 60 clear days before the expiration of the tenure of office of the present Parliamentarians, the Constitution ought to be amended. 

Ghana organises both the Presidential and Parliamentary elections concurrently.

In deciding to move the elections from the usual December 7 to November 7, the EC considered making room to be able to organise a run-off in case no candidate is able to secure the 50 per cent plus-one vote required for a first round victory and also to add more days for preparation for a handover on January 7. 

A run-off is normally organised 21-days after December 7 on December 28 as stipulated by law.

1992 separate elections

Ghana’s first presidential and parliamentary elections in 1992 were held on separate days in November and December respectively.

Following a boycott of the December 1992 Parliamentary election by the main opposition party, the New Patriotic Party, due to allegations of malpractices in the presidential election,  a decision was taken to hold both elections on the same day to be able to prevent a another boycott in future.

The move was also to help cut down cost. Since there was no law preventing the change of date in holding the presidential election, that one was moved from November 7 to December 7, same day for the parliamentary one.

The 1996 presidential and parliamentary elections and subsequent elections have since been held on December 7 but there have been arguments that the process does not make room for the organisation of a run-off and the subsequent transition on January 7.

Hence, the Electoral Reform Committee was established on January 23, 2015, to propose reforms to the country’s electoral system. The committee comprised representatives of the EC.

When the committee opened its doors for people to send proposals for electoral reforms, it was suggested that the election date should be changed.