Constitutional Review Committee proposes extension of Presidential tenure from four to five years 

The Constitutional Review Committee under the Chairmanship of Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh has proposed the extension of Ghana’s four-year Presidential tenure to five years. 

Presenting the report to President John Dramani Mahama at the seat of Government in Accra, Prof Prempeh said the Committee could not find a place for a third term Presidency. 

“There isn’t… Yeah, we couldn’t find a place for a third term. So… We looked and looked and looked. We couldn’t find… We realised that the President himself doesn’t like it,” the Chairman said. 

“Nobody really seems to like it. There wasn’t much of a demand for it at all. The only thing about that was the invitation for us to clarify ambiguity, and we didn’t even want to go there.” 

Article 66(2) of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution strictly limit the Presidency to maximum of two four-year tenure. 

“We didn’t think that 66(2) raised any issues. In terms of ambiguity, so we kept it the way it is. However, we believe we took to heart the recommendations that we got from many of the eminent persons that we met, including some who have occupied your seats, that the four-year term was short,” Prof Prempeh stated. 

He noted that the four-year tenure of the Presidency was too short; saying “And we also then learnt that the emerging global norm was five, and that even in the region, we and Nigeria have the lowest. I mean, four is pretty low”. 

“So we’re proposing an extension by one more year. We have coupled that with certain recommendations in the area of campaign and campaigning, because the claim was that the President takes about six months or so to set up, and then one year campaigning and all of that.” 

He said if Ghana follows example of other countries in Africa, including Senegal, where there was a definite campaign period before which one couldn’t do electioneering, one couldn’t put posters, one couldn’t put billboards, one couldn’t do jingles and one couldn’t do rallies. 

“So it’s like the fishing season. You have to open it before you can go fish. So we are proposing a campaign season, a short one, so that government will have time to govern, and that the people we elect to do the government’s business will really have time to focus on governing as opposed to doing campaigning,” he said. 

“So for the first time, we hope it is accepted that we will have a political or electoral environment where campaigns, we do not run 24-hour, 24-7, four-year campaigns, but where there is a definite period before which parties and candidates may not do campaigning”. 

Prof Prempeh noted that the Committee thought that would free up time for governing.  

The Committee, which was inaugurated by President Mahama on 19th January, took 11 months to complete its work. 

President Mahama in receiving the report commended the Committee for the good work done; adding that a Constitutional Review Implementation Committee would be commissioned early next year to start its work. 

Source: GNA 

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