The government has accepted a recommendation by the Constitutional Review Committee to extend the tenure of the President and Members of Parliament from four years to five years as part of proposed reforms to Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, announced the government’s position at a press conference held at the Presidency on Thursday, July 30, shortly after the Constitutional Review Committee presented its final report to President John Dramani Mahama at Jubilee House.
According to Dr Ayine, the government believes a five-year mandate would provide sufficient time for administrations to formulate, implement and evaluate policies, while reducing the disruptions caused by Ghana’s regular election cycle.
He explained that under the current four-year constitutional arrangement, governments spend the initial months settling into office through the transition process, while the final year is largely dominated by preparations for the next general election.
“The government has accepted the recommendation to extend the term of office of the president from four years to five years, with the term of Parliament extended to correspond with this,” Dr Ayine said.
“Our thinking is practical. Under the current four-year cycle, the early months of every administration are consumed by transition and the final year is consumed by election. A five-year term provides a more realistic timeframe for the formulation, implementation and the assessment of every government.”
The proposal is among several constitutional reforms contained in the final report of the Constitutional Review Committee, chaired by Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh.
The committee submitted its report to President Mahama on Thursday, outlining recommendations aimed at reviewing key provisions of the 1992 Constitution. The proposals cover a range of issues, including governance structures, the powers of state institutions and the tenure of elected public office holders.
The government’s endorsement of the recommendation marks a significant step in the constitutional review process, although any amendment to the presidential and parliamentary terms will have to follow the constitutional procedures required for altering entrenched provisions of the Constitution.
