President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed his adherence to Ghana’s two-term presidential term limit.
In a statement issued by the Presidency, the President stated that his absence from the 2028 ballot would put him in a stronger position to enforce fiscal discipline and curb the perennial election-year overspending that had fueled cyclical economic crises.
During a bilateral meeting with Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on a three-day state visit to Singapore, President Mahama decried the practice of incumbent governments circumventing fiscal safeguards to curry favour with voters.
He pledged to hold the line in the run-up to the 2028 polls, saying, “I will not be a candidate in the next elections and therefore I can hold the line when it comes to fiscal discipline.”
He also highlighted the gains his administration had recorded since his return to office following a landslide victory in the 2024 elections, citing rapid declines in inflation and interest rates, as well as a significant appreciation of the cedi.
President Mahama’s remarks contradict claims by members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) that he intends to seek a third term after his current and final tenure.
The bilateral talks in Singapore focused on economic cooperation and investment.
Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has clarified that the party has no plans to field Mahama for a third term, underscoring its commitment to Ghana’s constitutional provisions.
Addressing speculation about President Mahama’s political future and the party’s succession plans, Asiedu Nketia reiterated the NDC’s respect for constitutional term limits and democratic principles.
“We have never run our party in ways that conflict with the national constitution, and we don’t intend to do that. We will stick by the tenets of the Constitution,” he said.
