Younger People More Prepared for Presidency – Mahama

Former President John Mahama has declared his support for calls for the review of the law that demands one to be 40 years and above before qualifying to contest for the Presidency in Ghana.

Article 62 of Ghana’s Constitution states, “A person shall not be qualified for election as the President of Ghana unless; (a) he is a citizen of Ghana by birth; (b) he has attained the age of forty years; and (c) he is a person who is otherwise qualified to be elected a Member of Parliament, except that the disqualifications set out in paragraphs (c), (d), and (e) of clause (2) of Article 94 of this Constitution shall not be removed, in respect of any such person, by a presidential pardon or by the lapse of time as provided for in clause (5) of that article”.

In a tweet, Mr. Mahama wondered why young people are allowed to contest for Parliamentary seats and other positions in the country but not the Presidency.

“In my country, young people are in Parliament and contesting other positions but not the presidency. Our constitution says you must be 40 to contest to be president. Some advocacy has started for age restriction to be removed or reduced and I support it. The younger generation in Africa can and should be encouraged to run for Presidential Office. They are more prepared for Office than we were,” Mahama who is 59, wrote while giving his backing to the Commonwealth African summit 2018.

He also urged African countries to remove the barriers that make it difficult to trade among themselves.

“There might be setbacks in our work to achieve benefits for our common prosperity, but it must not deter us in continuing the struggle, because after all the survival of mankind is a collective one. A section of the human race cannot survive in isolation. I implemented a protocol for the issuance of visas on arrival for all African Passport holders in June 2016. This has taken away the hassle African business people experienced travelling in & out of Ghana. We can do same for the continent. Not only for people but also for goods.

“But when we pass certain laws and bring in some regulations like the local content law we promulgated in Ghana, then the Western Countries become uncomfortable and position even your laudable economic efforts as nothing but a failure”.

Source: Starrfmonline