CDD’s Asante: Support Constitution Reform (Third Major Push Needs Citizen Backing)
Dr. Kojo Asante, Director of Advocacy and Policy Engagement at the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), has urged Ghanaians to actively support efforts to change the 1992 Constitution. He pointed out that this is the third major attempt in 15 years and shows that there is broad agreement on the need for reform. He said in an interview that constitutional review has been a common topic in party manifestos over the past three elections. He pointed out problems that have come up over the past 30 years and stressed the need to move from an electoral democracy to a developmental democracy. Dr. Asante said that non-entrenched clauses only need a two-thirds majority in Parliament, but entrenched clauses like the separation of Parliament and Executive would need to go to a referendum with at least 40% of voters showing up and 75% of voters approving. This means that citizens need to be involved. He also pushed for laws to control political campaigns, using examples from Senegal, Kenya, and Côte d’Ivoire. He said that limiting the length of campaigns would lower spending, fight corruption, and promote political stability.
