Ansa-Asare questions proposal to lower presidential age limit
By DL News
Published
1 min read
He says the current constitutional requirement of 40 years has been in place for many years and should not be changed without a compelling reason.
Former Director of the Ghana School of Law, Kwaku Ansa-Asare, has questioned proposals to reduce the minimum age for contesting Ghana’s presidency.
He says the current constitutional requirement of 40 years has been in place for many years and should not be changed without a compelling reason.
Speaking on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News on Thursday, September 17, Mr Ansa-Asare said Ghana should be careful about frequent changes to the Constitution.
“Let the constitution work. We have gone with 40 years for many years. It has served us well. What is this rush in trying, you know, to lower the age, you know, to 30,” he said.
His comments come amid ongoing discussions on constitutional reform.
The Constitutional Review Committee has recommended that the minimum age for presidential candidates be reduced from 40 to 30.
Government has accepted the idea of reducing the age, but has proposed 35 years instead.
Mr Ansa-Asare said young people should be encouraged to take part in politics, but argued that lowering the presidential age limit should not be treated as the main way to achieve that goal.
“I’m not saying that we shouldn’t think of encouraging the youth to participate, you know, in the political activities of the country,” he said.
He urged political actors to focus on reforms that address more urgent national concerns.
According to him, constitutional amendments must be approached with caution and should not be driven by political pressure or enthusiasm for change.
Mr Ansa-Asare also cautioned political parties against what he described as repeated attempts to adjust the Constitution.
He said the country should allow the existing constitutional framework to function unless there is a strong and practical reason for amendment.
The debate over the presidential age limit forms part of a wider reform conversation, which also includes proposals to extend presidential and parliamentary terms from four to five years.
Government has accepted the five-year term proposal.
