Double Vote in 2027: Mahama links Constitutional Reform to Assembly Elections
President John Dramani Mahama has announced that Ghanaians will vote on key constitutional changes at the same time as the 2027 District Assembly elections. Speaking to residents in Bolgatanga last Friday during his tour of the Upper East Region, the President said the plan forms part of the government’s broader “Resetting Ghana Agenda” to strengthen governance and national institutions.
Two-track approach to reforms
The President said his government is moving to turn recommendations from the Constitution Review Commission, CRC, and the government’s own position paper into draft legislation.
To do this, he will soon inaugurate a Constitutional Review Implementation Committee. Its job will be to merge the CRC report with the government’s position and sort the proposed changes into two groups.
“Non-entrenched clauses, we just need parliamentary approval. So those will be put before Parliament, and we will vote and pass them,” President Mahama explained. “Entrenched clauses require that we conduct a referendum, and that will go alongside the 2027 Assembly elections,” he added.
High threshold for entrenched changes
According to the President, amendments to entrenched provisions of the 1992 Constitution cannot be passed by Parliament alone. They must go to a national referendum where at least 40% of registered voters must take part. Of those who vote, a minimum of 75% must approve the changes for them to become law.
By combining the referendum with the District Assembly elections, voters will have an extra ballot question to decide when they go to the polls next year.
Call for public support
President Mahama urged citizens to back the process, saying the reforms will follow all constitutional procedures.
He noted that the constitutional review is not happening in isolation. It sits alongside government efforts to improve security, strengthen state institutions, and create the right conditions for development.
The announcement signals the start of what is expected to be one of the biggest constitutional exercises in Ghana in recent years.
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