Ghana backs five-year presidential term plan, excludes Mahama

Ghana has accepted proposals to amend its Constitution by extending the presidential term from four years to five years and reducing the minimum age required to contest the presidency from 40 to 35.

The recommendations emerged from a review of the country’s 1992 Constitution carried out by a committee established last year by President John Mahama.

Speaking on Thursday, the Minister for Government Communications, Felix Ofosu, clarified that the proposed constitutional changes would not benefit the current administration.

He explained that if eventually approved, the new provisions would not apply to President Mahama while he remains in office.

Earlier, Dominic Ayine, attorney-general and minister of justice, announced that the government had accepted the committee’s recommendation, saying the proposal was intended to give future administrations a longer period to implement their policies and programmes before returning to the electorate.

Ayine noted that the existing four-year electoral cycle leaves governments with limited time to effectively implement their development agenda, as transition processes and election-related activities often dominate the beginning and end of every administration.

He said extending the tenure to five years would provide a more practical timeframe for governance, policy implementation and the assessment of government performance.

Other recommendations accepted by the government also include extending parliament’s tenure to match the new presidential term.

The government also agreed to a proposal to hold presidential elections in the first week of November to ensure an adequate gap between the polls and the January 7 inauguration.

The bill on term limits will have to go through a number of stages before being put to a national referendum ⁠in 2027.

For the amendment to be adopted, at least 40 percent of registered voters must participate in the referendum, with at least 75 percent of them voting in favour of the change.

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