Ghanaians may vote in a referendum on proposed constitutional amendments alongside District Assembly elections next year. President John Dramani Mahama made this known during a citizens’ engagement in Bolgatanga as part of his two-day tour of the Upper East Region under the Resetting Ghana Tour.
He said voters would be required to vote on the proposed amendments at the same time as they elect Assembly Members next year.
“We therefore want to add the referendum to the District Assembly elections next year. Next year, apart from voting for your Assembly Members, you will also be required to vote on the constitutional amendments,” President Mahama said.
According to him, the proposed changes would be implemented if the referendum receives the required level of support.
President Mahama said he would soon inaugurate a Constitutional Review Implementation Committee to consider the government’s position paper alongside the reports of the Constitutional Review Commissions.
The committee, he said, would classify the proposed amendments into entrenched and non-entrenched provisions.
He explained that amendments involving non-entrenched provisions would only require parliamentary approval, while those affecting entrenched provisions would have to go through a referendum.
“For non-entrenched clauses, we only need Parliamentary approval. We will put them before Parliament, and Members will vote and pass them,” he said.
“Entrenched clauses require that we conduct a referendum. At least 40 percent of registered voters must vote, and 75 per cent of those who vote must say yes.”
Government’s position on the recommendations of the Prof. H. Kwasi Prempeh Constitutional Review Committee
In July, the government accepted a number of recommendations from the Constitutional Review Commission, led by Prof. Henry Kwasi Prempeh, including proposals on dual citizens’ participation in governance, extending the presidential term from four to five years, and the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).
Read Also: Constitutional Review Committee Proposes Five-Year Presidential Term, Elected MMDCEs
Read the government’s position paper on the CRC’s recommendations here.