The Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) has called on Ghana's Judiciary and to expedite the passage of legislation that will set a clear 120-day deadline for adjudicating parliamentary election petitions, to prevent prolonged electoral disputes that undermine democratic stability.

The recommendation follows the implementation of the Strategic and Impactful Implementation of Electoral and Institutional Reforms in Ghana project, launched in 2023 by IDEG and NORSAAC with funding from the European Union (EU).

The project aimed to advance key reforms recommended by the EU Election Observation Mission (EU-EOM) 2020 in the lead-up to the 2024 elections.

At a post-election forum, Professor Kwesi Jonah, IDEG's Research Fellow for Advocacy and Institutional Relations, acknowledged that although the Judicial Service updated the Election Adjudication Manual to improve dispute resolution, the lack of enabling legislation meant that no binding timeframe was set for the courts to rule on parliamentary petitions before the December 2024 elections. "It is one thing to revise manuals; it is another to ensure implementation through law.