Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie
Chief Justice Nominee, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, has proposed for the country’s general elections to be held on November 7 instead of the traditional December 7 date.
He believes the shift would give the courts enough time to resolve election petitions before the swearing-in of a new president.
Appearing before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Monday, November 10, 2025, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie explained that the one-month gap between the December 7 polls and the January 7 inauguration is too short for the proper hearing and determination of electoral disputes.
He said that the experience from past election petitions shows that the current timeframe puts pressure on the judiciary and could undermine confidence in the electoral process.
“After the election petition, we came to the conclusion that petitions should be 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 noted.
According to him, if elections are conducted in early November, results could be declared by November 10, allowing nearly two months for any petitions to be filed, heard and determined before the new administration takes office.
“Assuming we go by the 42-day window provided under CI 99, petitions can be filed, responded to and tried within that period,” he added.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie further proposed the adoption of electronic service of court documents to speed up the petition process. He said the manual system of personally serving respondents often causes unnecessary delays.
“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 explained.
He emphasised that with the election date moved to November and digital processes introduced, all electoral petitions could be completed before the end of December, ensuring both fairness and efficiency in the country’s electoral justice system.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House