Kufuor backs five-year presidential term, says four years is not enough

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has thrown his support behind a proposal to extend Ghana’s presidential term from four to five years, arguing that the current arrangement leaves governments with insufficient time to implement their policies before election campaigns take over.

Speaking in an interview with JoyNews, Mr Kufuor said the fourth year of a presidential administration is often dominated by election-related activities, diverting attention from governance to political campaigning and promises aimed at securing re-election.

“Fourth year is an election year. Election year anywhere in the world is a mud year, everybody is going around promising and talking, and then the election comes, and you have to pay something to the voter to put you back, what is the benefit?” he asked.

The former President argued that extending the presidential term to five years would provide governments with additional time to demonstrate their performance and deliver on development programmes before seeking a renewed mandate from the electorate.

Mr Kufuor, who served as President of Ghana from 2001 to 2009, said his position was informed by his personal experience in office.

He recalled raising a similar proposal during his final State of the Nation Address, stressing that the suggestion was not intended to prolong his stay in power.

“I believe in the two terms, but four years for a developing young country like ours, and I have gone through the experience, so I spoke from practical experience, and it was my last State of the Nation Address that I brought it up. I didn’t say it to lengthen my stay,” he said.

Mr Kufuor maintained that he remains committed to the two-term limit for presidents but believes each term should be extended from four to five years to allow successive administrations adequate time to implement their policies and complete development projects.

“Now I say five years, if for whatever reason my party (NPP) says no, that is their point of view,” he added.

The proposal comes amid ongoing discussions on constitutional reforms in Ghana, including calls to review the duration of presidential terms.

Any change to the existing four-year presidential term would require the necessary constitutional amendment procedures and approvals before it could take effect.

The debate centres on whether a five-year term would improve governance and provide sufficient time for governments to execute development programmes, or whether the existing four-year cycle should be maintained to preserve the current electoral arrangement.