The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has opposed a recommendation to extend Ghana’s presidential term from four to five years, maintaining that the current four-year mandate should remain unchanged. The party’s position contrasts with that of the government, which has endorsed the Constitutional Review Committee’s (CRC) recommendation for a five-year presidential term. The NPP argues that the extension is unnecessary, particularly in light of the proposed move of presidential elections from December to November, which it says would provide an incoming administration with additional time to prepare for a smooth transition and assume office.
Alhassan Tampuli announced the NPP’s position at a press conference on Thursday, September 17. “The Constitution Review Committee recommended that the Presidential term be extended from four to five years. The Attorney-General informed Ghanaians that the government has accepted that recommendation, but we have taken a different position from the government and the CRC,” the party stated.
“We do not support the extension and support the retention of the existing four-year term.” The NPP said maintaining a four-year presidential mandate would promote democratic accountability by allowing citizens to regularly evaluate the performance of a government and decide whether to renew or withdraw their mandate.
On the presidential eligibility age, however, the NPP backed the CRC’s recommendation to reduce the minimum age from 40 to 30. The government has proposed a minimum age of 35. The party said it agreed with the CRC that the threshold should be lowered to 30, arguing that the existing age requirement unnecessarily limits younger Ghanaians seeking to contest for the country’s highest office.
“We share the position of the CRC that the minimum age should be 30. The current minimum age of 40 unnecessarily restricts the ability of younger Ghanaians to aspire to the high office of the Republic,” the NPP said. The party further argued that setting the minimum age at 35 would continue to prevent a substantial number of young Ghanaians from seeking the presidency.
