The government has accepted the proposal by the Constitutional Review Committee to extend the presidential term of Ghana from four to five years.
It has also agreed that the membership of Parliament should increase from the current 276 to 300.
Also part of the proposal the government has agreed to is the lowering of the minimum age for qualification as president from 40 to 35 years.
Again, the proposal for all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to be elected has also been endorsed by the government.
At a press briefing in Accra on Thursday, to announce details of the government's position paper on the Constitutional Review Committee report, the Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine said the proposal to abolish the death penalty in line with human rights has also been endorsed.
Also, the proposal for dual citizens to become parliamentarians and also occupy other high public offices has also been endorsed.
All this will now have to go through a referendum for it to be endorsed before it can be reviewed in the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.
He said the government was planning to hold that referendum alongside the 2027 District Assembly elections to help reduce costs and expected both amendment bills to be ready by October 2026.
At the press briefing, Dr Ayine explained that the document was not a White Paper in the strict constitutional sense because the Constitutional Review Committee was not established as a commission of inquiry under Chapter 23 of the 1992 Constitution.
He said the government's response to the committee's recommendations fell into three categories, full acceptance, acceptance in principle with modifications and rejection, with reasons provided for each decision.
On the presidency, Dr Ayine said the government had accepted a five-year presidential term, with Parliament's tenure also extended to five years.
He said the present four-year cycle left limited time for governance after the transition period and election-related activities.
Under the proposals, presidential elections will be held in the first week of November. Election petitions must also be filed within 14 days after the declaration of results and determined by the Supreme Court within 30 days.
The government further accepted a proposal to remove the President's blanket tax exemption. The President will therefore pay tax on salaries, allowances and applicable indirect taxes, although presidential pensions will remain exempt from tax.
On the Executive, the number of ministers of state will be capped at 60 instead of the 57 proposed by the committee.
Parliament will also be expanded to 300 members, with the additional 24 seats filled through proportional representation and reserved for women, persons with disabilities and the youth.
The government also accepted a proposal to remove restrictions preventing dual citizens from contesting parliamentary elections or holding offices such as high offices such as Parliamentarians. Ministers, Chief Justice, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission and Speaker of Parliament solely because they hold citizenship of another country.
On the Judiciary, the Chief Justice will serve a single non-renewable term of 10 years or until reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70 years, whichever comes first.
The membership of the Supreme Court will also be capped at 19, comprising the Chief Justice and 18 other justices, instead of the 15 proposed by the committee.
Political parties will also be required to give all members in good standing equal voting rights in the selection of presidential and parliamentary candidates.
Dr Ayine said the proposal was in line with a Supreme Court judgment delivered on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in a case brought by Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe and Dr Christine Amoako-Nuamah.
On local governance, the government proposed the direct election of all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives instead of adopting the committee's phased approach.
Under the proposal, the President will nominate five people, including two women, for each position. Three candidates, including at least one woman, will then be shortlisted to contest the election.
The government also accepted the establishment of an independent Public Emoluments Commission to determine the salaries and benefits of Article 71 office holders, including the President, Members of Parliament and heads of major state institutions.
The current committee appointed by the President for that purpose will therefore be abolished.
The government further accepted the abolition of the death penalty, with offences that currently attract capital punishment carrying life imprisonment instead.
It also accepted the proposal to enact a Human Rights Act to expand the rights set out in Chapter Five of the Constitution, without requiring a referendum whenever additional rights are introduced.
The government also accepted a constitutional right of abode for people of African descent in the diaspora, with a heritage-based pathway to citizenship subject to conditions to be determined by Parliament.
Dr Ayine announced that the Office of the Attorney-General would also be restructured.
Under the proposal, the Attorney-General will no longer serve as a Minister of State or a member of Cabinet.
A separate Ministry of Justice will oversee the justice sector, while the Attorney-General will retain responsibility for criminal prosecutions and legal advice to the state, with security of tenure comparable to that of a Justice of the Supreme Court.
Dr Ayine said President John Dramani Mahama would soon inaugurate a Constitutional Review Implementation Committee to prepare two constitutional amendment bills.
He explained that the first bill, covering non-entrenched provisions, would require approval by a two-thirds majority in Parliament, while the second bill, dealing with entrenched provisions, would be submitted to a national referendum.
He said the government intended to hold the referendum alongside the 2027 District Assembly elections to reduce costs and expected both amendment bills to be ready by October 2026.
Dr Ayine urged Ghanaians to read the Constitution Review Committee's report and the government's 89-page position paper.
