{
  "id": 6722886,
  "title": "Five-year presidential term must come with stronger governance reforms – TUC",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/five-year-presidential-term-must-come-with-stronger-governance",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-11T06:48:57.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Chronicle Ghana",
    "slug": "the-chronicle-ghana",
    "url": "https://thechronicle.com.gh/five-year-presidential-term-must-come-with-stronger-governance-reforms-tuc/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has urged Ghana to implement stronger governance reforms alongside any extension of the presidential term from four to five years. Mr Joshua Ansah, the TUC's Secretary-General, made this call during a press conference in Accra, stating that while a longer term could provide governments with more time to formulate and implement policies, it could also expose citizens to prolonged periods of misgovernance. The TUC has noted the Constitutional Review Commission's (CRC) recommendation to amend Article 66(1) and the government's acceptance of this suggestion. However, the TUC emphasized that this recommendation should be accompanied by broader reforms aimed at strengthening democratic governance and public confidence in state institutions. The TUC argued that the term extension should not be considered in isolation from other constitutional reforms intended to enhance governance. Mr Ansah also supported the proposal to limit presidential appointment powers by amending Article 70, but expressed concerns over the vagueness of the CRC's proposed four classifications for public service appointments. He stressed that amending Article 70 alone would not sufficiently restrict presidential appointment powers, as it only covers a limited number of institutions. The union disagreed with the CRC's suggestion to bar MPs from serving as Ministers of State, arguing that such a rule weakens parliamentary oversight and encourages executive dominance over legislation. The TUC strongly rejected the CRC's recommendation for dual citizenship, which would allow citizens to contest parliamentary elections while retaining their citizenship of another country. They also supported the CRC's proposal to amend Article 89(2) to create a 33-member Council of State, but rejected a proposal for the incumbent government to nominate five candidates for the Council.",
  "summary": "The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called for stronger governance reforms to accompany any extension of Ghana’s presidential term from four to five years. The TUC said while a longer presidential term could provide more time for governments to formulate, implement and assess policies, it could also expose citizens to the consequences of misgovernance for […] The post Five-year presidential term…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}