Judiciary, Parliament urged to legislate timely resolution of parliamentary election disputes

The Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) has called connected Ghana’s Judiciary and Parliament to expedite the transition of authorities that volition acceptable a wide 120-day deadline for adjudicating parliamentary predetermination petitions, to forestall prolonged electoral disputes that undermine antiauthoritarian stability.

The proposal follows the implementation of the Strategic and Impactful Implementation of Electoral and Institutional Reforms successful Ghana project, launched successful 2023 by IDEG and NORSAAC with backing from the European Union (EU).

The task aimed to beforehand cardinal reforms recommended by the EU Election Observation Mission (EU-EOM) 2020 successful the lead-up to the 2024 elections.

At a post-election forum, Professor Kwesi Jonah, IDEG’s Research Fellow for Advocacy and Institutional Relations, acknowledged that though the Judicial Service updated the Election Adjudication Manual to amended quality resolution, the deficiency of enabling authorities meant that nary binding timeframe was acceptable for the courts to regularisation connected parliamentary petitions earlier the December 2024 elections.

“It is 1 happening to revise manuals; it is different to guarantee implementation done law. Without legislation, the delays successful resolving electoral disputes volition persist,” helium noted.

IDEG has projected that Parliament and the Judiciary collaborate to walk a instrumentality mandating that each parliamentary predetermination disputes beryllium resolved wrong 120 days, aligning with planetary champion practices and enhancing electoral credibility.

The betterment is portion of a broader post-2024 docket aimed astatine institutionalising timely and transparent electoral processes successful Ghana’s antiauthoritarian framework.

BAI/MA

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