Geographic Reference

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The government has accepted the proposal by the Constitutional Review Committee to extend the presidential term of Ghana from four to five years.

It has also agreed that the membership of Parliament should increase from the current 276 to 300.

Also part of the proposal the government has agreed to is the lowering of the minimum age for qualification as president from 40 to 35 years.

Again, the proposal for all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to be elected has also been endorsed by the government.

At a press briefing in Accra on Thursday, to announce details of the government’s position paper on the Constitutional Review Committee report, the Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine said the proposal to abolish the death penalty in line with human rights has also been endorsed.

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Also, the proposal for dual citizens to become parliamentarians and also occupy other high public offices has also been endorsed.

All this will now have to go through a referendum for it to be endorsed before it can be reviewed in the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.

Geographic Reference

He said the government was planning to hold that referendum alongside the 2027 District Assembly elections to help reduce costs and expected both amendment bills to be ready by October 2026.

At the press briefing, Dr Ayine explained that the document was not a White Paper in the strict constitutional sense because the Constitutional Review Committee was not established as a commission of inquiry under Chapter 23 of the 1992 Constitution.

He said the government’s response to the committee’s recommendations fell into three categories, full acceptance, acceptance in principle with modifications and rejection, with reasons provided for each decision.

On the presidency, Dr Ayine said the government had accepted a five-year presidential term, with Parliament’s tenure also extended to five years.

He said the present four-year cycle left limited time for governance after the transition period and election-related activities.

Under the proposals, presidential elections will be held in the first week of November. Election petitions must also be filed within 14 days after the declaration of results and determined by the Supreme Court within 30 days.

The government further accepted a proposal to remove the President’s blanket tax exemption. The President will therefore pay tax on salaries, allowances and applicable indirect taxes, although presidential pensions will remain exempt from tax.

On the Executive, the number of ministers of state will be capped at 60 instead of the 57 proposed by the committee.