Ghana: NPP rejects extension of presidential term to five years

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) rejected the proposal to extend the presidential term from four to five years on Thursday, September 17, in Accra. The main opposition party thus distances itself from the government, which has accepted this recommendation from the Constitutional Review Committee.

During a press conference, Gushegu MP Sulemana Tampuli Alhassan stated that the NPP advocates for maintaining the four-year term. The party believes that holding presidential elections every four years allows voters to more regularly assess the government’s performance and to renew or withdraw their trust.

The Constitutional Review Committee, chaired by Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh, had recommended extending the terms of the president and MPs to five years. The government of John Dramani Mahama accepted this direction in July, arguing that a five-year cycle would provide an administration with more time to design, implement, and evaluate its policies.

In contrast, the NPP supports moving the presidential election from December to November. According to the party, this change would give a new administration more time to prepare for the transition and would also allow for a potential runoff to be held before the end of the year.

However, the extension of the presidential term cannot take effect solely based on the government’s agreement. The term length is among the constitutionally protected provisions, and any amendment must go through the enhanced revision procedure, which includes a national referendum.

The government has also accepted the principle of lowering the minimum age to run for the presidency, proposing 35 years instead of the 30 years recommended by the committee. The NPP, however, supports the 30-year threshold.