Parliament has rejected amendments to change the election date to November after it failed to amass 184 votes needed to effect the historic change.

After a secret ballot, the Speaker, Edward Doe Adjaho, said Parliament was unable to obtain the 184 votes needed to pass the bill. The Bill got 125 Majority rejection votes.

The vote quashing the change became predictable after the Minority signaled it would not support the Bill which needed super majority votes to succeed.

Debating the Constitutional Amendment Bill 2016, Minority Leader and Member of Parliament (MP) for Suame, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu said although the Minority agrees in principle to the change, they are disappointed in the sloppy way the Electoral Commission (EC) has handled it.

He argued that in Kenya, important electoral reforms took about 10 months of careful deliberations ahead of their general elections.

To pass an amendment barely five months to presidential and parliamentary elections is too late, he suggested.

He condemned the EC for the poor management of the process and said the Commission had demonstrated that it was not ready for November 7 polls.

The Minority leader said the Commission has a Continuous Registration Exercise to conduct so as to enable more eligible voters to register.

He believes many could be disenfranchised if the change is effected because the EC would be hurried through other important registration exercises.

But Majority leader, Alban Bagbin and Nadowli West MP rebutting said, “if you are not ready by November 7, you will not be ready by December 7”.

He said the EC and Parliament have worked closely in the past to take important decisions at seemingly short notice.

He said all parties to the date change have worked hard to get the amendment to this point.

"Every person and committee have done their job and it is now the turn of this House to perform its duty. This House cannot fail the people of Ghana,” he said.

The Speaker after the debate called for a secret ballot according to Article 104 clause 4 and Standing Order 110.

The Article required that voting should be done by a secret ballot in relation to matters of election or removal from office.

Joy News correspondent Elton John Brobbey reported that out of the 148 MPs in the Majority caucus, only 125 were present at the time of voting. He said the Majority Whips were working to increase their numbers.

Although the Minority controls 122 MPs, not all of them were present. At a party meeting Wednesday night, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) which constitutes the Minority in Parliament agreed to kick against the Bill.

With a weakened Majority in Parliament, it was feared the Bill will fail to pass. At things stand, Ghana remains set to vote on December 7, 2016.

The historic change has failed.