Ghana’s government backs a five-year presidential term and drops the age limit to 35

The government of Ghana has agreed to a recommendation to lengthen the presidential term from four to five years, as stated by the justice minister of the West African nation on Thursday.

President John Dramani Mahama established a committee last year to review the 1992 constitution, which made several recommendations, some of which were accepted by the government.

Attorney General and Minister for Justice Dominic Awine stated that the term of Parliament will be extended to align with the new presidential term.

The presidential term extension was intended to provide administrations with additional time to govern, according to the government. “The initial months of each administration are taken up by transition issues, and the last year is predominantly focused on elections,” Awine stated.

The government accepted in principle the committee’s proposal to lower the minimum age for presidential candidates, currently set at 40. However, it modified the recommended threshold to 35 years instead of the 30 proposed by the committee.

The government has confirmed that presidential elections will take place in the first week of November to provide a sufficient interval between the polls and the inauguration on January 7.

Another committee will be formed to create two amendment bills anticipated to be completed by October 2026.

The bill addressing term limits will need to undergo several procedures before it can be presented in a national referendum in 2027.

For the referendum to be successful, a minimum of 40% of registered voters needs to participate, with at least 75% of those votes in support.