Citizens’ Platform asks govt for roadmap, timelines on constitutional review
The Steering Committee of the Citizens’ Platform on Constitutional Reform at its Monday, 8 June 2026 meeting called for the President and the government to formally lay out a roadmap with clear timelines for the review of the 1992 Constitution.
In a statement, the Platform further announced that it would formally request meetings with the President, the Speaker of Parliament, the Leadership of the Majority and Minority Caucuses in Parliament, the Chairman of the Council of State, and the leadership of political parties to engage on the next phase of the reform process.
The next phase, it noted, included the implementation mechanism, legislative and referendum timelines, public consultation, civic education, and sustained citizen participation.
It noted that the Constitution Review Committee chaired by Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh submitted its full report to the President on 26 January 2026, after nationwide consultations in which Ghanaians from every region and every walk of life participated.
It said the publication of the summary of their report was met with broad goodwill across the political divide.
It noted, however, that four months after the submission of the full report, which is yet to be released or published, the government announced that the President would chair a special Cabinet meeting to consider a draft position paper prepared by the Attorney-General and the President’s legal team and to finalize the government’s position on the CRC proposals.
It said since that announcement, media reports have suggested that the government had approved and intends to soon lay amendment bills before Parliament in respect of some of the CRC proposals, including the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives.
The statement said what remains absent, however, was a full implementation roadmap clarifying the proposed mechanism, timelines, sequencing and institutional responsibilities by which the next phase of constitutional reform would be managed.
It said the Platform was deeply concerned that the window for completing this reform is closing and that further delays would narrow the realistic period within which amendments could be passed before electioneering overtakes the national agenda.
The statement said the constitutional amendment process is procedurally demanding.
It added that both entrenched and non-entrenched amendment bills must be published in the Gazette for at least six months before introduction in Parliament.
It said entrenched provisions must then undergo Council of State review and approval by referendum, while non-entrenched provisions were subject to Council of State review and parliamentary supermajority approval.
The statement said in view of the above processes, the electoral calendar and the practical demands of organising a credible referendum, these timelines mean that preparatory work must move faster immediately.
It intimated that the Platform considers the constitutional review process as timely and a necessity to truly reset democratic governance, economy and society.
The statement said the Platform fully endorses key proposals to make the three arms of government more effective, reduce the debilitating effect of hyper partisanship on the independence of institutions and their responsiveness, enable accountability across the state, reorganise and strengthen the anti-corruption architecture, democratize and empower political parties as development vehicles, strengthen citizens’ participation in their governance and restore trust in the state.
It said the Platform urgently calls for the following: the publication of the full CRC report; a published roadmap for the reform process with clear timelines and milestones; the mandate, composition and inauguration of the implementation mechanism; the manner in which Government’s position on the Committee’s recommendations will be communicated and subjected to public engagement; the legislative and referendum calendar required by Articles 289 to 291 of the Constitution; and the framework for sustained citizen participation, civic education and consensus-building.
The statement said the Platform also invites the political parties to consider a cross-party compact committing them to agreed timelines, constructive engagement on the content of amendment bills, and a code of conduct for any referendum campaign.
The Platform reaffirms its readiness to support the State in civic education, public engagement and technical work throughout the reform process, and calls on the media, faith-based organizations, academic institutions, professional bodies, traditional authorities, women, the youth and all citizens to remain engaged and vigilant.
The statement said the Constitution belongs to the people of Ghana, and its renewal must be completed in their name and within their sight.
The Citizens’ Platform on Constitutional Reform is a coalition of more than ninety civil society organizations, trade unions and professional bodies, which coordinates engagement, advocacy, and accountability in Ghana’s ongoing constitutional reform process.
The Coalition is convened by CDD-Ghana, STAR-Ghana Foundation and Democracy Hub.
Source: GNA