{"id":118095,"date":"2026-07-31T12:04:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T12:04:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ghana\/uncategorized\/government-accepts-five-year-presidential-parliamentary-terms"},"modified":"2026-08-02T02:33:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T02:33:35","slug":"government-accepts-five-year-presidential-parliamentary-terms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ghana\/all-news\/government-accepts-five-year-presidential-parliamentary-terms","title":{"rendered":"Government Accepts Five-Year Presidential Parliamentary Terms"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Ghana. <\/strong> <\/span>The Government has accepted a proposal to extend the presidential and parliamentary terms of office from four years to five years under planned constitutional reforms. The proposal, if approved through the constitutional amendment process, would apply only to future Presidents and future Parliaments.<\/b><\/p>\n

Dr Dominic Ayine, Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, announced the Government\u2019s position on Thursday at a news conference in Accra on the final recommendations of the Constitution Review Committee.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur thinking is practical. Under the current four-year cycle, the early months of every administration are consumed by transition, and the final year is largely consumed by elections. That leaves precious little time for actual governance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Dr Ayine said a five-year mandate would provide a more realistic period for the formulation, implementation and assessment of government policies.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the avoidance of doubt, this recommendation, if carried through, will be in respect of future Presidents, not the current one,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

The Government also accepted in principle a recommendation to reduce the minimum age for presidential candidates, but proposed lowering it from 40 years to 35 years instead of the 30 years recommended by the Committee.<\/p>\n

Dr Ayine said the revised age threshold would widen eligibility while ensuring that candidates possessed the maturity and experience required to occupy the nation\u2019s highest office.<\/p>\n

He said the Government had also accepted a proposal for presidential elections to be held during the first week of November, with the specific date to be determined by the Electoral Commission through a constitutional instrument.<\/p>\n

The Minister said the proposed time frame would provide greater certainty for the electoral calendar, improve planning by stakeholders and allow sufficient time between the election and the inauguration of a new President on January 7.<\/p>\n

On electoral disputes, Dr Ayine said the Government had accepted recommendations requiring presidential election petitions to be filed within 14 days after the declaration of results and determined by the Supreme Court within 30 days.<\/p>\n

He said the Electoral Commission would also be required to disclose all relevant election data to the court and the parties involved to facilitate the timely resolution of disputes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe take this position because the timely resolution of election disputes inures well to the stability of our democratic transitions and to the general political stability of our country,\u201d Dr Ayine said.<\/p>\n

The Government has also accepted the principle that a President should no longer be exempt from paying tax solely by virtue of holding office. Under the proposal, the President would pay tax on salary and allowances, as well as applicable indirect taxes on goods and services.<\/p>\n

However, Dr Ayine said the Government had not accepted the recommendation to tax a President\u2019s retirement gratuity and pension, explaining that the details of the President\u2019s tax obligations would be addressed in the country\u2019s tax laws.<\/p>\n

Find more news and analyses on Ghana<\/span> on the Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Ghana. The Government has accepted a proposal to extend the presidential and parliamentary terms of office from four years to five years under planned constitutional reforms. The proposal, if approved through the constitutional amendment process, would apply only to future Presidents and future Parliaments. Dr Dominic Ayine, Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, announced […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":118094,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[429],"class_list":["post-118095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-ghana"],"yoast_head":"\nGovernment Accepts Five-Year Presidential Parliamentary Terms - Ghana<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"-article-header-tag"> Africa-Press - Ghana. 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