ACCRA, GHANA — The Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has clarified that the government’s proposed constitutional amendment to extend the presidential term from four years to five years will not apply to incumbent President John Dramani Mahama.
The clarification comes after the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, announced that the government has accepted a recommendation by the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) to extend the tenure of both the President and Members of Parliament from four to five years.
“Does Not Apply to the Incumbent President”
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Mr. Kwakye Ofosu moved to dispel speculation that the amendment was targeted at benefiting the current administration.
> “Attorney-General says Government accepts recommendation of Constitutional Review Committee to extend presidential term from 4 to 5 years. Minimum eligible age to contest for president reduced to 35 from 40.
> For the avoidance of doubt, this proposed amendment does not apply to the incumbent President,” he wrote.
Reason Behind the Proposal
Presenting the government’s White Paper on the CRC recommendations, Dr. Ayine said the proposal is aimed at giving future administrations more time to implement policies before facing the electorate.
According to the Attorney-General, the current four-year cycle leaves governments with limited time for governance, as transition processes and election-related activities often dominate the beginning and end of every term.
He argued that a five-year term would provide _“a more practical timeframe for governance, policy implementation and the assessment of government performance.”_
Other Key Recommendations Accepted
Government also accepted the CRC’s recommendation to reduce the minimum age to contest for president from 40 to 35 years.
The proposed constitutional amendments will now go through the required legislative and constitutional processes before they can take effect.
