The government has endorsed a significant recommendation from the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) to increase the tenure of both the President and Parliament from four years to five years, as announced by the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine.
While presenting the government’s White Paper on the recommendations of the Constitutional Review Committee, Dr. Ayine stated that this proposal aims to afford administrations additional time to implement and assess their policies before seeking re-election.
“The government has agreed to extend the presidential term from four years to five years, with Parliament’s term also being extended accordingly,” he remarked.
He explained that the existing four-year electoral cycle does not provide governments with adequate time to fulfill their agendas, as the start and conclusion of each administration are heavily influenced by transition and election-related activities.
“Our perspective is pragmatic. In the current four-year cycle, the initial months of each administration are taken up by transition issues, while the concluding year is predominantly focused on elections.”
Dr. Ayine emphasized that a five-year term would establish a more feasible timeframe for governance and policy execution.
“A five-year term offers a more realistic timeline for the development, implementation, and evaluation of government policies.”
Additionally, the Attorney General revealed that the government has, in principle, accepted the committee’s recommendation to reduce the minimum age for presidential candidates, albeit with a modification.
Although the Constitutional Review Committee suggested lowering the eligibility age from the current 40 years to 30 years, the government has decided on a minimum age of 35 years.
“Regarding the presidency, the committee proposed that the minimum age for presidential election eligibility be decreased from the current constitutional age of 40 years to 30 years. The government has accepted this recommendation in principle, with one modification.”
minimum age will be established at 35 years instead of 30 years. Of course, the particulars will be developed by the Constitutional Review.
