The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has set November 4, 2023, as the date for its presidential primaries to select a flag bearer for the general election in 2024.
However, if more than five candidates file to run in the primaries, the party will call a Special Congress on August 26.
The nomination period for the presidential primaries will begin on May 26 and end on June 24, 2023.
The party also announced that parliamentary primaries will be held on February 24, 2024 and nominations will be accepted between December 20, 2023, and January 4, 2024.
In a statement signed and issued in Accra yesterday, Justin Kodua Frimpong,the General Secretary of the NPP, said it meant the party would choose its presidential candidate before its parliamentary candidates but the National Council has barred national, regional, constituencyexecutives of the party and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) from contesting in constituencies where the party has sitting Members of Parliament.
It noted that the party had also approved detailed rules and regulations to govern the conduct of both the presidential and parliamentary primaries which would be made available to the public in due course.
The statement said opening of nominations for the presidential primaries would be on May 26, 2023, closing of nominations would be on June 24, 2023 and if there would be a Special Electoral College, it would be on August 26, 2023.The national congress would be on November 4, 2023.
It intimated that for the parliamentary primaries, nominations would be opened for orphan constituencies, that is, constituencies without New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament (MPs) on June 16, 2023 with closing of nominations on July 14, 2023 and elections would be held from August 1 to December 2, 2023.
The statementindicated that opening of nominations with sitting MPs would be held on December 20, 2023 and closing of nominations would be held on January 4, 2024 and elections would be slated for February 24, 2024.
