Constitutional rights advocate Oliver Barker-Vormawor has taken issue with the Constitution Review Committee (CRC) over its decision to classify the proposal to extend Ghana’s presidential term to five years as a semi-entrenched provision.
Barker-Vormawor, who serves as Constitutional Rights and Policy Strategy Advisor at Democracy Hub, argued that the issue is too critical to Ghana’s democratic framework to be decided solely by Parliament.
Speaking on Channel One TV on Wednesday, January 7, he insisted that the proposal should be subjected to a national referendum, allowing citizens to directly determine the future structure of presidential tenure.
According to him, the CRC’s current framework categorises constitutional amendments into two main groups: entrenched provisions, which require approval through a referendum, and semi-entrenched provisions, which can be amended by Parliament using a supermajority.
While acknowledging that this system may be designed to make constitutional reforms more efficient, Barker-Vormawor maintained that the length of a presidential term goes to the very heart of Ghana’s democratic order and should not be treated as a procedural adjustment.
“I disagree with the committee. This is one of the questions that must go to a referendum,” he said.
“It has been placed in the semi-entrenched category for Parliament to decide, but this is a question the people themselves should speak on.”
He further argued that consistency demands a referendum, noting that the two-term limit for presidents has already been classified as an entrenched provision requiring direct public approval.
“If the limit on the number of terms requires a referendum, then any proposal that alters the duration of those terms must also go the same route,” he added.
Barker-Vormawor warned that excluding citizens from such a significant constitutional decision could weaken public trust in the review process and undermine the legitimacy of reforms aimed at strengthening democratic governance.
According to him, meaningful constitutional change must be anchored in broad public participation, especially on issues that shape executive power and democratic accountability.
