Let’s amend the constitution to avoid election runoffs –Ayariga

Hassan Ayariga, the founder of the All People’s Congress (APC), has stated that the Electoral Commission should not change the December 7 election date. Instead, he believes that there should be an amendment to the constitutional provision mandating a runoff if no candidate secures 50 plus one vote.

He proposed a different approach where the winner-takes-all system in Ghana is replaced with a coalition government, allowing parties with the highest percentage of votes to choose members of the government from various political parties. This, he believes, would eliminate issues of corruption and monopoly in the political system.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church also called for a change in the election date due to conflicts with the Sabbath, but the Electoral Commission has stated that the proposal will not take effect this year.

However, the legislation required for a change in subsequent elections will be put before Parliament soon.