SDA Church Insists Its Members Cannot Vote On Saturday, December 7, Calls for Date Change
- The Seventh-Day Adventist Church has rejected President Akufo-Addo's appeal for them to vote on December 7
- The church has said voting on December 7, which falls on Saturday, will be an affront to their religious beliefs
- The church observes Saturdays as the Sabbath, which means they cannot engage in non-religious activities, even voting
The Seventh-Day Adventist Church (SDA) has rejected President Akufo-Addo’s appeal for them to vote in the upcoming 2024 general elections.
The church has said it will stands by its decision not to participate in the elections, which are on a Saturday.
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The church reiterated that conducting the general elections on December 7, a Saturday, conflicted with their observance of the Sabbath.
The SDA Church observes the Sabbath from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday.
According to the church, the observance of the Sabbath bars them from engaging in any other activity that is not religious, including voting.
The church had earlier asked the Electoral Commission (EC) to consider changing the election date from Saturday to accommodate their religious views, but the EC has failed to do so.
The church argued that moving the church away to a neutral day would allow all citizens, regardless of faith, to participate fully in the democratic process.
The church urged all members to ensure that their decision on December 7, 2024, is consistent with the Adventist belief in the sacredness of the Sabbath.
Include SDA on special voting list: Acheampong
The Member of Parliament for Abetifi, Bryan Acheampong, has also called on the Electoral Commission to permit members of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church to be included in the special voting list.
He argued that as December 7, 2024, falls on a Saturday, it would disenfranchise the approximately 800,000 members of the SDA, whose doctrines prohibit them from engaging in any activity, including voting, on Saturdays.
In a post on X, the Agricultural minister called on Ghanaians to join him in calling on the EC to take the necessary measures so as not to disenfranchise that entire Christian sect.
EC proposes election date change
YEN.com.gh also reported that the EC is considering shifting the general election date from December 7 to November 7.
The commission also wants election days to be designated as national holidays, aiming to improve the electoral process.
The proposals were presented during a Monday, January 22, 2024, Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting.
Proofread by Bruce Douglas, senior copy editor at YEN.com.gh
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Source: YEN.com.gh
