Ghana’s Opposition Backs Some Constitutional Changes but Rejects the Process
GHANA · POLITICS
Key Facts
- —What happened Ghana’s opposition New Patriotic Party published its position on the review of the 1992 constitution.
- —Who presented it Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, for the party’s policy coordination secretariat.
- —What it supports Barring members of parliament from serving as ministers, a ceiling of 60 ministers, and electing local chief executives.
- —What it rejects Expanding parliament from 276 to 300 seats, and a five-year presidential term.
- —The bigger objection The party says the package amounts to a new constitution and demands a constituent assembly.
- —The scale involved The review proposes amending 147 of 299 articles and adding 59 new provisions.
Yes to a minister cap and elected mayors, no to a bigger parliament, and no to the process itself.
Ghana’s opposition New Patriotic Party has set out its position on the review of the 1992 constitution. It supports several individual changes while rejecting the review process as partisan.
Who Is Speaking and From Where
The New Patriotic Party has been in opposition since losing the December 2024 election. John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress is president.
Kojo Oppong Nkrumah presented the position for the party’s policy coordination secretariat. The party notes that it rejected some of the same proposals when it was in government.
What the Party Supports
It backs barring members of parliament from serving as ministers, deputy ministers or regional ministers. It also supports a ceiling of 60 ministers.
It supports electing metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives rather than having them appointed. And it backs restricting members of parliament from sitting on public boards and procurement bodies.
What the Party Rejects
It opposes expanding parliament from 276 to 300 seats. It also opposes moving to a five-year presidential term.
Those two are the changes that would most directly affect the balance of power. That is the pattern in its position.
The Objection to the Whole Exercise
The party argues that the package amounts to the overhaul of a constitution and, in substance, the enactment of a new one. It points to 147 of 299 articles being amended and 59 new provisions added.
It says that in the absence of a constituent assembly, an attempt to bundle the government’s preferred amendments will not receive its support. That is a procedural objection rather than an argument about any single clause.
Why Separating Ministers From Parliament Matters
In Ghana’s system, members of parliament can serve as ministers. Critics say that gives the executive leverage over the legislature that is supposed to scrutinise it.
Barring the practice would change how much independent oversight parliament can offer. Both major parties have supported the idea in opposition more readily than in government.
Where the Review Came From
The Constitution Review Committee delivered its report to President Mahama on 22 December 2025. The review covers the 1992 constitution, which has governed Ghana since the return to multi-party rule.
A constituent or consultative assembly is the mechanism Ghana used to adopt that constitution. The opposition is asking for the same route this time.
The Money Question in the Background
Research by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development has documented the rising cost of seeking office. Campaign spending averaged about 389,803 cedis per parliamentary seat in 2016, a rise of 59 percent on 2012.
By 2020 it reported figures reaching as high as four million cedis. Its researcher Jacob Tetteh Ahuno has warned that this trend points toward state capture, where campaign financiers dictate what the state does.
The Party’s Own Timing
The New Patriotic Party holds its national officer elections on 19 September 2026. Positions taken publicly in the days before an internal election are read in that light.
Sulemana Tampuli Alhassan, the member of parliament for Gushegu, has been among those speaking on the proposals. He holds no national party office at present.
What It Means for Ghanaians
None of this changes any rule today. A constitutional amendment requires its own legislative process and, for entrenched provisions, a referendum.
The practical question is whether the two main parties can agree a process. Without that, a package of this size is unlikely to pass.
What Is Not Yet Known
The government has not responded to the demand for a constituent assembly. No timetable for putting amendments to parliament has been published.
It is also unclear which provisions the government regards as entrenched. Those are the ones that would require a referendum.
What to Watch
Whether the government engages with the constituent assembly demand. That is the procedural fork the whole exercise now turns on.
Watch also for the outcome of the opposition’s internal elections on 19 September. New party officers could revisit the position.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is the New Patriotic Party in government?
No. It has been in opposition since losing the December 2024 election. John Mahama is president.
What does the party support?
Barring members of parliament from serving as ministers, a 60-minister ceiling, electing local chief executives, and restricting members from public boards.
What does it reject?
Expanding parliament from 276 to 300 seats and moving to a five-year presidential term.
What is its main objection?
That the package amounts to a new constitution and should go through a constituent assembly.
How large is the proposed change?
Amendments to 147 of 299 articles, plus 59 new provisions.
When was the review report delivered?
On 22 December 2025, to President Mahama.
Sources: New Patriotic Party position on the review of the 1992 constitution, 17 September 2026, as reported by MyJoyOnline; Constitution Review Committee report of December 2025; Ghana Center for Democratic Development research.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief