The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has rejected a proposal to extend Ghana’s presidential term from four years to five years.
The party says the current four-year term should remain because it gives Ghanaians the opportunity to regularly assess the performance of their elected government and decide whether to keep it in office or vote for a change.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, September 17, 2026, the Member of Parliament for Gushegu, Sulemana Tampuli Alhassan, said the NPP does not agree with the position taken by the government and the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC).
The CRC, chaired by Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh, recommended that the presidential term be extended from four years to five years as part of its proposed changes to the 1992 Constitution.
The committee submitted its final report to President John Dramani Mahama in December 2025.
In July 2026, the government accepted the proposal, together with a recommendation to extend the term of Parliament from four years to five years.
The government has argued that the current four-year electoral cycle does not give governments enough time to properly develop, implement and assess their policies.
The NPP, however, disagrees with the proposed extension and wants the existing four-year presidential term to remain.
“The CRC recommended that the presidential term be extended from 4 to 5 years. Now, we have taken a different position from the position of government and the CRC. We do not support the extension, and we support the retention of the existing 4 years.
“And our justifications are that a four-year mandate promotes democratic accountability by allowing citizens to regularly assess the performance of a government and renew or withdraw their mandates.
“Challenges relating to policy implementation, transition and the formation of government should be addressed through greater efficiency and timely decision-making, rather than by extension. Again, extending the term weakens the principle of regular accountability,” Mr Tampuli Alhassan said.
