Former Attorney General expresses doubt over amendment of 1992 Constitution
“Just recently also, attempts to amend district-level elections failed. So I wonder if Ghana will ever be able to amend its Constitution,”
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A former Attorney General of the State, Marietta Brew, has expressed doubts over the possible amendment of the 1992 Constitution either as a whole or parts of the Constitution.
Ms Brew’s assertion stems from the difficulty faced by incumbent Governments to amend portions of the Constitution.
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Delivering an address at the 2024 Constitution Day Lecture organised by One Ghana Movement on January 8, 2024, Ms Brew, despite backing calls for amendments to the Constitution averred it will be difficult for changes to be made to the Constitution.
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“I agree to calls for the Constitution to be amended but I must say that it will be difficult to amend the Constitution.
“For instance, attempts to amend the Constitution in 2014 to change the voting date to the first Friday of November were rejected by Parliament.
“Just recently also, attempts to amend district-level elections failed. So I wonder if Ghana will ever be able to amend its Constitution,” she remarked.
Despite the difficulty in amending the Constitution, the former Attorney General noted the advent of the 1992 Constitution has enabled the country to hold eight peaceful general elections.
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“Ghana’s reputation as an example of a thriving democracy despite its challenges cannot be questioned. Since the advent of the 1992 Constitution, we have witnessed 8 successful elections which have been aggressively contested by the NPP and the NDC,” she posited.
The former Attorney General spoke on the theme; “Our Democracy, The Constitution, Elections and The Judiciary.”
Meanwhile, former Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan has stated that calls to amend the constitution are in order.
According to him, the fact that the constitution includes procedures for amendment is proof that the document was never intended to be static.
He pointed out that many countries around the world regularly review and assess the performance of their constitutions, and make changes as needed to ensure that they remain effective.
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