In order to give enough time for election petitions to be heard and decided upon prior to the inauguration of a new administration, Chief Justice Nominee Paul Baffoe-Bonnie has suggested that Ghana’s general elections be held on November 7 rather than the customary December 7.
In response to worries about the protracted nature of election dispute remedies, he made the remarks on Monday, November 10, 2025, during his screening by Parliament’s Appointments Committee. Ghana’s elections now take place on December 7 and the new government is sworn in on January 7.
This one-month timeframe makes it practically difficult for a political party that feels wronged to complete their petition while the new administration is in power.
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.
Additionally, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie advocated for the use of electronic court document service, claiming that it may greatly reduce the delays brought on by the manual serving of procedures 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.