Ghana’s government backs five-year presidential term, lowers minimum age to 35

Ghana’s government has accepted a recommendation to extend the presidential term from four years to five years, Attorney General and Minister for Justice Dominic Ayine said on Thursday.

The proposal follows a review of the 1992 Constitution by a committee set up last year by President John Dramani Mahama. The government has accepted several of the committee’s recommendations, including extending the tenure of Parliament to align with the proposed five-year presidential term.

According to the government, the extension is intended to give administrations more time to implement their programmes, noting that the early months of a new government are often spent on transition matters, while the final year is largely dominated by election activities.

“The early months of every administration are consumed by transition matters, and the final year is largely consumed by elections,” Ayine said.

The government also accepted in principle a proposal to lower the minimum age for presidential candidates but opted for 35 years instead of the 30 years recommended by the constitutional review committee. The current minimum age is 40 years.

It further approved a proposal to move presidential elections to the first week of November to create a wider gap between the polls and the January 7 inauguration.

A separate committee will draft two constitutional amendment bills, expected to be ready by October 2026. The bill on presidential term limits will subsequently undergo the constitutional amendment process, including a national referendum scheduled for 2027.

For the referendum to succeed, at least 40 per cent of registered voters must participate, with a minimum of 75 per cent voting in favour of the proposed amendments.

Credit: Reuters