EC Pauses Ballot Printing for Election 2024 Following Akua Donkor’s Death

EC Pauses Ballot Printing for Election 2024 Following Akua Donkor’s Death, Ghana Freedom Party Granted 10 Days to Nominate Successor

The Electoral Commission (EC) has announced a suspension in the printing of presidential ballot papers for the 2024 election after the sudden passing of Akua Donkor, the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) presidential candidate. The EC has given the GFP a 10-day period to nominate a new candidate to replace Donkor, in line with Article 50 (4) of the 1992 Constitution. This article specifies that if a candidate dies after the close of nominations but before the election, a 10-day extension is allowed for parties to submit a new candidate.

In an official statement released by Samuel Tettey, Deputy Chairman for Operations at the EC, the commission referenced the Public Elections Regulations, 2020, C.I. 127, and Article 50 (4) of the Constitution to clarify the procedures. The GFP has been instructed to select a new nominee and notify the EC within the allotted period, halting the nearly completed ballot printing process in the meantime.

Following Donkor’s passing, GFP’s vice-presidential candidate, Kwabena Agyeman Appiah Kubi, known as Roman Fada, expressed his readiness to take up the presidential candidacy if the party requires it. Speaking on Angel FM, Roman Fada stated, “If the law says I should be the flag bearer, I am ready to take up the mantle.”

He detailed Akua Donkor’s recent health issues, sharing that she initially received treatment at Nsawam Government Hospital on October 26 but was later transferred to the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, where she passed away on October 28.

Akua Donkor founded the Ghana Freedom Party in 2011, registering it officially in 2012. Her political career began as an assembly member in Hemang, Kwabre East District, before she attempted to run for parliament in the Kwabre East constituency. Despite her unsuccessful bids in 2004 and 2008, she remained determined, ultimately shifting her focus to a national platform by establishing the GFP.

Donkor’s passing marks a significant moment for the GFP, which will soon release a formal statement regarding its next steps in her absence.