NPP rejects five-year presidential term, supports 30-year minimum age

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has rejected the proposed extension of Ghana’s presidential term from four to five years, insisting that the existing four-year mandate should be maintained.

The position puts the party at odds with the government, which has accepted the Constitutional Review Committee’s (CRC) recommendation to extend the presidential term to five years. The government has also proposed a corresponding five-year term for Parliament.

The NPP’s position was presented at a press conference on Thursday, September 17, by the Member of Parliament for Gushegu, Sulemana Tampuli Alhassan.

According to the party, a four-year presidential mandate provides an important mechanism for democratic accountability by allowing citizens to periodically assess the performance of elected governments and decide whether to renew or withdraw their mandate.

“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 position of government and the CRC,” the party said.

“We do not support the extension and we support the retention of the existing four-year term.”

The NPP argued that the proposed extension is unnecessary, particularly in light of other proposed constitutional changes that would move presidential elections from December to the first week of November.

The government has said the earlier election date would provide a longer period between the election and the January 7 inauguration of the incoming President. It has also argued that the current four-year cycle leaves limited time for governments to formulate, implement and assess policies because transition activities occupy the early months of an administration while election preparations dominate the final year.

The NPP, however, maintains that challenges relating to policy implementation, transitions and the formation of government should be addressed through greater efficiency rather than extending the presidential mandate.

While rejecting the proposed five-year presidential term, the NPP said it supports the CRC’s recommendation to reduce the minimum age for presidential candidates from 40 to 30 years.

The party’s position differs from the government’s proposal to set the minimum age at 35.

The CRC recommended reducing the eligibility age from the current 40 years to 30, while the government accepted the reduction in principle but proposed 35 years instead.

The NPP said the current 40-year threshold unnecessarily limits younger Ghanaians who may seek the country’s highest political 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 party said.

It added that setting the threshold at 35 would continue to exclude a significant number of younger Ghanaians from presidential contests.

The existing Constitution sets the minimum eligibility age for the presidency at 40 under Article 62(b). The proposed changes form part of the broader constitutional review process being considered by government.

The NPP’s latest position is part of its wider response to the government’s proposed implementation of the CRC recommendations, with the party also raising concerns about the process through which the broader constitutional reforms are being pursued.