The Constitutional Review Committee’s (CRC) suggestion to permit Ghanaians with dual citizenship to hold public office, apart from the positions of President and Vice President, has been approved by the government.
The current constitutional requirement that Ghanaian nationals by birth relinquish their foreign citizenship before running for parliamentary office would be eliminated as part of the government’s White Paper on the CRC’s recommendations.
The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, presented the White Paper today in Accra, stating that Ghana’s involvement with its diaspora and the realities of contemporary citizenship are no longer compatible with the current limits on dual citizens.
A Ghanaian citizen by birth who also possesses the citizenship of another nation will no longer be barred from running for Parliament due to their dual citizenship status, according the approved recommendation.
Additionally, they won’t have to give up their other nationality in order to run for office.
“The current disqualification sits uneasily with our engagement with the diaspora and with the realities of modern citizenship,” Dr Ayine stated.
A proposal to eliminate dual citizenship as a barrier to a number of high-level public positions has also been approved by the government outside of Parliament.
If the proposal is carried out, dual citizens who fulfil all other constitutional conditions will be qualified to hold offices like Chief Justice, Speaker of Parliament, and Chairperson of the Electoral Commission.
“Multiple citizenship will no longer disqualify a person from holding certain offices except that of President and Vice President of the Republic. So, the fact that you have multiple citizenship will not bar you from becoming Chief Justice of the Republic, or becoming the head of the Electoral Commission, or, for instance, becoming Speaker of Parliament,” Dr Ayine said.
Nonetheless, only those without multiple citizenships will be eligible to hold the positions of President and Vice President.
The suggested modifications are a component of larger constitutional amendments intended to modernise Ghana’s system of government and increase democratic engagement.
Before they take effect, they will still need to go through the necessary constitutional amendment procedures.
Source: newsthemegh.com