Today, the Constitutional Review Committee, chaired by Prof. Henry Kwasi Prempeh has submitted its report to President John Dramani Mahama at the Flagstaff House.
Below is the summary of some key recommendations:
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1. Retain the two-term limit for the President, but extend the presidential term to five years.
2. Lower the minimum presidential age from 40 to 30 years.
3. Subject the President to taxation, including indirect taxes, like all citizens.
4. Replace Article 71 arrangements with an Independent Public Emoluments Commission to determine salaries and benefits.
5. Limit post-presidency immunity, allowing civil actions anytime and criminal actions within four years after leaving office.
6. Decouple ministers from Parliament: MPs cannot be appointed ministers or deputy ministers.
7. Cap the size of government at a maximum of 57 ministers, including deputies and regional ministers.
8. Deepen political and fiscal decentralisation, including the election of MMDCEs.
9. Make censure binding: a censured minister must be dismissed and cannot be reappointed during the same term.
10. Reform public appointments by classifying offices as executive, independent, or hybrid, and bind the President to advice where independence is required.
11. Restrict presidential powers during the post-election transition period.
12. Shift presidential elections to November to allow a longer transition period.
13. Cap Parliament at 276 MPs and reform constituency demarcation to prevent malapportionment.
14. Study the adoption of proportional representation to improve inclusion of women, youth, and smaller parties.
15. Strengthen parliamentary independence by allowing caucuses to elect and remove their own leaders.
16. Allow dual citizens by birth to contest parliamentary elections.
17. Require public officers to resign, with a cooling-off period, before contesting elections.
18. Extend Parliament’s term to five years, aligned with the presidential term.
19. Require open and recorded votes on constitutional amendment bills.
20. Curb abuse of the certificate of urgency with strict safeguards.
21. Constitutionally guarantee public participation in law-making.
22. Strengthen conflict-of-interest rules and replace MPs’ gratuities with a pension scheme.
23. Restructure the Electoral Commission to a Commissioner and two Deputies only.
24. Appoint EC leadership through a merit-based, independent nomination process, subject to parliamentary approval.
25. Provide single, non-renewable 10-year terms and enforce cooling-off periods after service for the EC Chair and deputies.
26. Strengthen the independence, funding, and mandates of the NCCE and NMC.
27. Make the National Development Plan BINDING on BUDGET and LEGISLATION
