The government has accepted a proposal to extend the presidential term of office from four years to five years and to lower the minimum age for presidential candidates from 40 to 35 years as part of its response to the Constitutional Review Committee’s recommendations.
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, announced the government’s position on Thursday, July 30, while presenting the Executive’s response to the Constitutional Review Committee’s report submitted to President John Dramani Mahama.
He said the government had accepted the recommendation to extend the tenure of the President from four to five years, with the term of Parliament also being extended to correspond with the new presidential term.
According to Dr Ayine, the decision was driven by practical considerations, arguing that the current four-year electoral cycle leaves governments with limited time to effectively implement their development agenda.
“Under the current four-year cycle, the early months of every administration are consumed by transition matters, and the final year is largely consumed by elections. A five-year term provides a more realistic time frame for the formulation, implementation and assessment of government policy,” he explained.
The government also accepted in principle the committee’s recommendation to reduce the minimum age requirement for presidential candidates. However, instead of the proposed 30 years, the Executive opted to set the threshold at 35 years.
Dr Ayine said Cabinet extensively reviewed all the recommendations submitted by the Constitutional Review Committee before deciding which proposals to accept, accept in principle with modifications, or reject.
The Constitutional Review Committee, chaired by Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh, submitted its summary recommendations to President Mahama in December 2025 and later presented its final report in February 2026.
The report, titled Transforming Ghana from Electoral Democracy to a Developmental Democracy, proposes 206 constitutional amendments, including 147 amendments to existing provisions and 59 entirely new provisions aimed at strengthening the country’s constitutional and governance framework.
Among the recommendations accepted by the government is a proposal to hold presidential elections on a date within the first week of November, to be determined by the Electoral Commission.
Dr Ayine said the adjustment would provide greater certainty to the electoral calendar while allowing sufficient time between the declaration of election results and the swearing-in of a new President on January 7.
The Executive also endorsed a proposal requiring presidential election petitions to be filed within 14 days after the declaration of results and determined by the Supreme Court within 30 days.
The proposed constitutional amendment would further require the Electoral Commission to disclose all relevant election data to the court and the parties involved in any election petition to facilitate the adjudication process.
