The Government has endorsed sweeping constitutional reforms that would extend the tenure of the President and Members of Parliament from four years to five years while lowering the minimum age for presidential candidates from 40 to 35 years, subject to constitutional amendments and a national referendum.

The proposals, announced by Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Dr. Dominic Ayine on Thursday, July 30, 2026, form part of the government’s White Paper on the recommendations of the Constitution Review Committee (CRC), aimed at overhauling key provisions of the 1992 Constitution.

Presenting the government’s position, Dr. Ayine said the decision to support a five-year presidential and parliamentary term was motivated by practical governance considerations, arguing that the existing four-year electoral cycle does not provide sufficient time for governments to effectively implement and assess their development programmes before returning to the electorate.

“The government has accepted a recommendation to extend the term of office of the President from four years to five years, with the term of Parliament extended to correspond with this,” Dr. Ayine announced.

According to him, every administration spends a significant portion of its first year settling into office through appointments, policy formulation and transition arrangements, while the final year is largely dominated by political campaigns and election-related activities, leaving only a limited period for actual governance.

“Our thinking is practical. Under the current four-year cycle, the early months of every administration are consumed by transition matters, and the final year is largely consumed by elections,” he explained.

Dr. Ayine argued that increasing the tenure to five years would provide governments with adequate time to formulate policies, execute development projects and allow citizens sufficient opportunity to assess the performance of elected leaders before the next general elections.

“A five-year term provides a more realistic time frame for the formulation, implementation and assessment of government policy,” he stated.

Minimum Presidential Age Reduced

The Attorney-General also announced that government had accepted, in principle, another major recommendation of the Constitution Review Committee to lower the constitutional age requirement for presidential candidates.

However, while the Committee had proposed reducing the minimum age from 40 years to 30 years, government opted for a more conservative approach by proposing a new minimum age of 35 years.

“Still under the presidency, the committee recommended that the minimum age of eligibility for election as President be reduced from 40 years, currently in the Constitution, to 30 years. The government has accepted this recommendation in principle, subject to one modification,” Dr. Ayine said.

“The minimum age will be 35 years, not 30 years. And of course, the details of this will be fashioned out by the Constitutional Review.”

The proposed reduction is expected to broaden opportunities for younger Ghanaians to contest the country’s highest political office while maintaining what government considers an appropriate balance between youth participation and leadership experience.

Part of Wider Constitutional Reforms

The proposed changes form part of a broader package of constitutional reforms accepted by government following the work of the Constitution Review Committee.

Among other recommendations already endorsed are the separation of the Office of the Attorney-General from the Ministry of Justice, the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), reforms to the electoral system, changes to the appointment of public officials and measures aimed at strengthening accountability and governance institutions.

Government is expected to establish a Constitution Review Implementation Committee to prepare the necessary constitutional amendment bills and related legislation.

Entrenched constitutional provisions, including those affecting the tenure of the President and Parliament, will require approval through a national referendum, which government intends to hold alongside the 2027 District Assembly elections.

Background

Since the promulgation of the 1992 Constitution, Ghana has operated a four-year presidential and parliamentary term with a maximum of two elected terms for the President.

Over the years, governance experts, constitutional scholars and civil society organisations have argued both for and against extending the tenure of elected governments.

Supporters contend that a longer mandate would allow governments to complete major development projects and implement long-term policies without constant electoral pressure.

Opponents, however, have argued that more frequent elections enhance democratic accountability by giving citizens regular opportunities to assess the performance of elected leaders.

Similarly, the constitutional minimum age of 40 years for presidential candidates has remained unchanged since 1992. The latest proposal to reduce the age to 35 years reflects growing calls for greater youth participation in national leadership while retaining what government considers a reasonable threshold for experience and maturity.

If approved through Parliament and endorsed by Ghanaians in a referendum, the reforms would constitute one of the most significant amendments to the Fourth Republican Constitution in more than three decades.