A five-year presidential term would make it harder for an incumbent to secure a second term without demonstrable achievements, according to Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, Prof. Henry Kwasi Prempeh.

Speaking on Joy News on December 25, Prof. Prempeh explained that the committee’s proposal aims to hold leaders accountable and empower voters. He highlighted the significant time lost at the beginning of a new administration due to administrative delays.

“So you come in, you are supposed to appoint everybody,” he said, elaborating on the challenges faced by new presidents. “The new Council of State has to come up before you appoint, consult them and appoint. So it takes forever.”

The committee, he added, identified these delays and sought to streamline processes to allow presidents more time to focus on governance. However, the rationale extends beyond simply freeing up time.

Prof. Prempeh pointed out that Ghana is increasingly an outlier in the global trend towards five-year presidential terms. “We gathered evidence that actually, Ghana is among a dwindling number of countries that still do four years, especially new democracies and in Africa,” he stated.

He noted that many countries now opt for five-year terms, with some in the West African region even extending to seven years, citing examples like Benin and Liberia. He also drew a comparison with Nigeria, stating, “Nigeria and Ghana… are always matching together lockstep.”

According to the committee’s findings, “the global norm now has shifted from four to five in presidential systems,” and “in our own region, five is the norm.” This led them to conclude that the length of a presidential term isn’t dictated by any fixed principle, and Ghana should adopt “comparative best practice.”

“So if the world is moving towards five, then maybe it makes sense five,” he said.

The committee also considered voter psychology. Prof. Prempeh explained that under the current four-year system, incumbents often plead for a second term, citing unfinished work. “People tell us, ‘Oh, when their term is coming to an end, oh, give us another term. We didn’t have enough time,’” he recounted.

He acknowledged that voters sometimes accept this argument. “A Ghanaian voter might accept that four years is not enough and give you a second term to finish your work,” he said.

However, he stressed that this justification becomes less persuasive with a five-year term. “If you have five years, it is going to be difficult to convince a voter that five years was not enough,” Prof. Prempeh asserted. This, he believes, is a key element of the committee’s proposal.

“Five years is going to be a very difficult thing for the incumbent to come back and ask for more time if they haven’t performed well,” he emphasized. The proposal, therefore, aims to shift the balance of power back to the electorate.

“Our thinking is that actually five years is tough on the incumbent,” he said, adding that it “may very well lead to a result where fewer people get a second term.” He was firm in his assessment of voter expectations: “If you have not performed well in five years, Ghanaians are not really going to entertain the thought of letting you stay.”

Prof. Prempeh further explained that the existing four-year term has created a predictable cycle. “The four, four was becoming like a tradition, like everybody gets eight,” he said. He was quick to dismiss concerns that a five-year term would automatically lead to ten years in office.

“It’s not like you just multiply five by two and say, hey, 10 years, there is too much,” he said. He reiterated that securing a second term under the proposed system would be significantly more challenging, dependent on demonstrable performance.

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