Chief Justice nominee, Justice Paul Kwadwo Baffoe-Bonnie, has proposed that Ghana’s presidential election be held earlier in November — preferably on the 7th or 8th — to allow sufficient time for the Supreme Court to resolve any post-election disputes before the presidential inauguration on January 7.
Appearing before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Monday, November 10, 2025, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie explained that the current electoral schedule leaves the courts with limited time to hear and settle petitions.
He said holding elections earlier would ensure all legal challenges are resolved before a new president is sworn in, adding that the idea resulted from broad stakeholder consultations on electoral justice reforms.
“We came to the conclusion that it should be possible to have the election petition concluded before 7 January, the inauguration day,” he said.
“The first suggestion that came, which we think was a masterstroke, was that we should have the elections on 7 or 8 November,” he added.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie noted that the move would create a 57-day gap between the declaration of results and inauguration day, enough to process petitions under the 42-day limit set by Constitutional Instrument 99 (CI 99).
“If we have the elections on the 7th or the 8th of November, by the 10th, the results would have been declared,” he said. “That gives us 20 more days before November ends, then 31 days of December, and six days of January — a total of 57 days.”
Citing lessons from the 2013 and 2020 election petitions, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie said procedural delays in past cases highlight the need for reform. He also proposed adopting electronic service of court documents to speed up proceedings.
“Instead of waiting one week for the response, we can reduce that number of days to, let’s say, four,” he said. “By the time we get to about the 30th of November, pleadings would have closed, issues would have been settled, and the trial would begin.”
He added that parliamentary collaboration would be required to revise relevant legislative instruments.
“We shall need the inputs of Parliament when it comes to LIs and CIs to be prepared,” he told the committee.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie said his goal is to promote efficient, fair, and timely judicial processes.
“In a trial like that, we can say it should take no more than two weeks. And once two weeks are there, judgment should be given within one week,” he said. “That way, by 7 January, we will have our President who will strike the sword and swear to his people.”
