Election 2020: CODEO welcomes December 7 holiday

The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) has welcomed the government's decision to declare Monday, December 7 a public holiday.

Project Lead at CODEO, Rhoda Osei- Afful said the holiday will help citizens have the patience to queue and vote without being pressured to hurry back to their various workplaces.

“I think it should be a holiday and remain a holiday so that we can all vote without having to be pressured to go back to work,” she said on Eyewitness News.

A statement from the Presidency announced the shifting of the original Farmers' day holiday from Friday, December 4 to December 7.

It said, this is to facilitate the conduct of the election in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, to help ensure strict adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols on Election Day, and to enable registered voters to exercise their franchise in safety and with minimal inconvenience.

“Under section 3 of the Public Holidays and Commemorative Days Act, 2001 (Act 601), the President has the power to declare any other day as a public holiday, instead of a day specified as a statutory public holiday.”

“Thus, with Farmers Day having been celebrated on Friday, 6th November 2020, the President is satisfied that it will be inexpedient for Friday, 4th December 2020, which is a statutory public holiday, to be observed as a public holiday. As such, Friday, 4th December 2020, will not be observed as a holiday,” the statement from the Presidency said.

The decision was taken following the submission of a proposal to the President by the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa backed by the various political parties.

---citinewsroom