The Mahama administration has endorsed sweeping constitutional reforms that could significantly reshape Ghana’s governance system, including extending the tenure of the President and Parliament from four to five years, electing all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), capping ministers at 60 and separating the Office of the Attorney-General from the Ministry of Justice.
Announcing government’s position yesterday at the Government Accountability Series at the Presidency, Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, said Cabinet had completed an extensive review of the recommendations submitted by the Constitution Review Committee, chaired by Prof. H. Kwasi Prempeh.
The committee proposed 206 constitutional reforms, comprising 147 amendments to existing provisions and 59 entirely new ones.
Five-Year Presidential Term
According to him, government has accepted the proposal to extend the tenure of both the President and Parliament from four to five years, arguing that the current electoral cycle leaves little time for effective governance.
Cabinet also endorsed holding presidential elections during the first week of November and introducing constitutional timelines requiring election petitions to be filed within 14 days and concluded by the Supreme Court within 30 days.
It further accepted, in principle, reducing the minimum age for presidential candidates from 40 to 35 years instead of the committee’s proposed 30 years.
Cabinet also approved a constitutional ceiling of 60 ministers, slightly above the committee’s proposed limit of 57.
Government also accepted proposals to restructure Parliament by fixing its membership at a maximum of 300. While the existing 276 constituency seats would remain, an additional 24 seats would be filled through proportional representation to enhance the representation of women, persons with disabilities and young people.
Dual Citizenship, Judiciary Reforms
Government has also endorsed proposals allowing Ghanaians with dual citizenship to contest parliamentary elections without renouncing their second nationality. Dual citizens would also qualify for several constitutional offices, except the offices of President and Vice-President.
On the judiciary, Cabinet supports a single, non-renewable 10-year tenure for the Chief Justice, subject to the mandatory retirement age of 70 years and proposes capping the Supreme Court at 19 Justices instead of the committee’s recommended 15.
Government accepted recommendations requiring all registered political parties to grant equal voting rights to members in good standing during the selection of parliamentary and presidential candidates. It also supports establishing a Political Parties Regulatory Commission to supervise political parties.
On local governance, however, Cabinet departed from the committee’s recommendation by deciding that all MMDCEs should be elected nationwide instead of introducing the reform in phases.
Government accepted proposals to abolish the death penalty by replacing it with life imprisonment.
Dr. Ayine also announced plans to enact a Comprehensive Human Rights Act to guarantee rights relating to healthcare, housing, food, environmental protection and vulnerable groups.
According to him, the legislation would provide broader human rights protections without requiring amendments to the entrenched provisions of Chapter Five of the Constitution.
One of the most significant reforms announced is the separation of the Office of the Attorney-General from the Ministry of Justice.
Government proposes amending Article 88 of the Constitution so that the Attorney-General will no longer serve as a Minister of State or Cabinet member.
A separate Minister for Justice will oversee the justice sector, while the Attorney-General remains the Republic’s principal legal adviser and chief prosecutor with security of tenure comparable to that of a Justice of the Supreme Court.
Roadmap To Reform
Dr. Ayine disclosed that President John Dramani Mahama would soon inaugurate a Constitutional Review Implementation Committee to prepare two constitutional amendment bills by October 2026.
The bill covering entrenched constitutional provisions will be subjected to a national referendum, which government intends to hold alongside the 2027 District Level Elections to reduce costs. Government will also introduce complementary legislation to implement recommendations that do not require constitutional amendments.
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