Mahama Receives Constitutional Review Report, 5-year Presidential Term Proposed

• The final report of the Constitutional Review Committee has been presented to President John Mahama
• Among the recommendations, the committee suggested a change to the length of the presidential term
• Mahama welcomed the committee's report and called some of the recommendations revolutionary and radical

President John Mahama has received the final report of the Constitutional Review Committee today, December 22, at the Presidency in Accra.

The committee, chaired by Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh, Executive Director of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development, delivered hilights from the report, including an increase in the presidential term.

During a press conference on December 22, Prempeh noted that the committee suggested a five-year term.

He, however, joked that no space could be found for increasing the term limits of presidents from two to three, in references to the recurring discussion on the matter.

The committee cited concerns that a significant portion of a four-year term is lost to administrative transition and electioneering.

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“The claim was that the President spends about six months settling into office and nearly a year campaigning."

To address this, the committee coupled the proposed term extension with recommendations on regulating campaign seasons, aimed at reducing prolonged political activity that distracts from governance.

The objective, he said, is to give governments adequate time to implement policies without constant campaign pressure.

In response, Mahama called the report a Christmas gift and called some of the recommendations revolutionary and radical.

He assured that the government would implement as many of the recommendations as possible.

The full report can be viewed here.

Commenting on the proposal for an increased presidential term, a lawyer, Timothy Donkor, remained sceptical of the potential of more guaranteed time in power for politicians.

"As for politicians, they are often greedy. Anything that grants them more time to rule and control over the resources of a nation, they welcome it. It is for you, instead, the citizens, to consider whether, truly, it is in your interest to grant such an extended period to them all at once."

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Who were the members of the committee?

The eight-member committee appointed to this national task comprised the following persons:

1. Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh (Chairman) – Executive Director, Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana)
2. Dr. Rainer Akumperigya, Esq. (Secretary) – Founding Partner, Partners and Associates
3. Her Ladyship Justice (Mrs.) Sophia O. A. Adinyira – Retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana
4. Professor Kwame Karikari – Retired Professor and former Director, School of Communications, University of Ghana, and former Member, National Media Commission
5. Ms. Charlotte Kesson-Smith Osei, Esq. – Founder and Managing Consultant, Cyrus Law; former Chairperson, National Commission for Civic Education; and former Chairperson, Electoral Commission of Ghana
6. Dr. Esi Ansah – Executive Director, Center for Leadership, Ashesi University
7. Alhaji Ibrahim-Tanko Amidu – Executive Director, STAR-Ghana Foundation
8. Dr. Godwin Djokoto, Esq. – Senior Lecturer, UG School of Law, University of Ghana

Other recommendations by the Constitutional Review Committee

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The Constitutional Review Committee recommended an amendment to Article 62(b) of the Constitution to reduce the minimum age for presidential candidates.

Under the proposed change, the eligibility age to contest the presidency would be lowered from forty to thirty years.

It also proposed the stripping Members of Parliament of eligibility for ministerial appointments, capping the total number of ministers at 57, and tightening rules on appointments, censure, succession and the exercise of power during post-election transition periods.

Government spokesperson argues for expanded presidential terms

In October, YEN.com.gh reported that the Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Shamima Muslim suggested that it was time for a serious discussion about changing presidential term limits or length.

Muslim believes the current four-year mandate is not enough for any meaningful change.

She told TV3 the four-year term is wholly insufficient given the rigours of the election cycle.

Source: YEN.com.gh