Gov’t proposes lowering Presidential eligibility age to 35

The Government has accepted in principle a recommendation to lower the minimum age for presidential candidates from 40 years to 35 years as part of its constitutional reform proposals.

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, announced the proposal during the Government Accountability Series on the government’s position on the final report of the Constitution Review Committee.

He explained that while the committee recommended reducing the eligibility age to 30 years, the government believes 35 years strikes a better balance between promoting youth participation and ensuring adequate maturity for the nation’s highest office.

“The committee recommended that the minimum age of eligibility for election as President be reduced from 40 years to 30 years. The government has accepted this recommendation in principle, subject to one modification: the minimum age will be 35 years, not 30 years,” Dr. Ayine stated.

He said the current constitutional requirement of 40 years excludes many qualified citizens from contesting for the presidency based on what government considers an arbitrary age threshold.

According to him, setting the minimum age at 35 aligns with the trend in modern democratic constitutions towards greater inclusion of younger people in national leadership while ensuring that candidates possess the maturity and experience required to discharge the responsibilities of the office.

“The current threshold of 40 years excludes qualified citizens from seeking the highest office on the basis of an arbitrary age limit. Thirty-five is consistent with the trend in modern democratic constitutions towards greater inclusivity of the youth whilst ensuring that a candidate for the highest office has attained a measure of maturity and experience to handle that office,” he said.