Ghana has taken a significant step toward overhauling its electoral system after the government endorsed proposals that would extend the tenure of both the president and members of parliament from four years to five.
The proposed amendments, announced on Thursday by Attorney General and Minister for Justice Dominic Ayine, also seek to reduce the minimum age for presidential candidates from 40 to 35 years.
According to Ayine, extending the length of a government’s mandate would provide administrations with more time to implement their policy agenda. Another major proposal would shift Ghana’s presidential election from the first week of December to the first week of November. The change is intended to create a longer transition period between the election and the inauguration of a new president, which is constitutionally scheduled for January 7. The government has accepted this recommendation.
To formalize the reforms, a committee will prepare two constitutional amendment bills, which are expected to be completed by October.
The proposal to extend the presidential term will then be put before voters in a national referendum next year. Under Ghana’s constitutional requirements, at least 75 percent of participating voters must approve the amendment before it can be enacted into law.
If approved, the reforms would mark one of the country’s most far-reaching constitutional changes since the return to multiparty democracy in 1992, when Ghanaians began electing presidents and legislators every four years.
