Ghana Accepts Constitutional Reform Proposals on Presidential Terms, Age Limit
Ghana’s government has accepted proposals to extend presidential and parliamentary terms from four years to five years, lower the minimum age for presidential candidates to 35, and move presidential elections to the first week of November, Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine said on Thursday.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series briefing at the Presidency, Ayine said the proposals formed part of the government’s response to recommendations submitted by the Constitution Review Committee. He said the changes would not apply to the current president.
The government accepted a recommendation to extend the terms of office of both the president and Parliament from four years to five years, saying the existing electoral cycle leaves administrations with limited time to implement policy.
“Under the current four-year cycle, the early months of every administration are consumed by transition and the final year is consumed by election,” Ayine said. “A five-year term provides a more realistic timeframe for the formulation, implementation and assessment of every government.”
The government also accepted in principle a recommendation to reduce the minimum age for presidential candidates but amended the proposal. While the committee recommended lowering the threshold from 40 to 30 years, the government set the proposed minimum age at 35.
“The minimum age will be 35 years, not 30 years,” Ayine said.
Ayine said presidential elections would be held on a day in the first week of November, to be determined by the Electoral Commission through a constitutional instrument.
The government also accepted proposals requiring presidential election petitions to be filed within 14 days of the declaration of results and determined by the Supreme Court within 30 days.
Separately, the government endorsed recommendations allowing Ghanaians by birth who hold dual or multiple citizenship to contest parliamentary elections without renouncing their foreign nationality.
It also accepted proposals removing multiple citizenship as a disqualification for several constitutional offices, including Chief Justice, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission and Speaker of Parliament. The restriction would remain for the offices of president and vice president.
“The current disqualification sits uneasily with our engagement with the diaspora and with the realities of modern citizenship,” Ayine said.
Ayine said the government’s response was not a formal White Paper but classified the committee’s recommendations as accepted, accepted in principle with modifications, or rejected.
The proposals will proceed to the next stage of Ghana’s constitutional amendment process.
