The Dean of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC), Dr. Vladimir Antwi-Danso, has said that the suggestion that the tenure of presidents in Africa should be relooked at is not the best way to curb coups.
He explained that the operationalisation of democracy in every country should be determined by their constitutions, not because it is believed that those tenures contribute to incidences of coups.
The security expert added that if in Ghana, for instance, leaders at the traditional levels are able to be on the seat until they die, yet there is proper accountability, it doesn’t really matter to him how long other leaders stay in political office.
“I don’t think I subscribe to this kind of regimentation. Each country has a way of its constitutional order. I don’t care how long a president stays provided it is constitutional. Why are we forcing ourselves to go four years, five years, three years, seven years and changing them? I mean, we must brew our democracy in the pots of Africa.
“If, for example, an Omanhene (that’s our tradition), stays until he dies but there are checks and balances, Asante system has been unique and stable – very, very stable; if that is what we want, why don’t we do it? Who says that the four-year period that a president should stay is more democratic than the Asantehene who stays until he dies? Once that is what the constitutional order says, I have no quarrel about that,” he explained.
Dr. Vladimir Antwi-Danso also said that instead of focusing on what the tenures of presidencies should be in Africa, what the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) must ensure that countries work within their constituencies.
“So, ECOWAS or AU does not have any say in trying to decide for countries how long they should stay. What they should decide is that everything should be constitutional; everything must be democratic, and I am for that,” he added.
Dr. Antwi-Danso made this known in an interview on The Lowdown on GhanaWeb TV with Etsey Atisu.
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