Oliver Barker-Vormawor is an activist and lawyer
Activist and lawyer Oliver Barker-Vormawor has said the constitutional process required to amend recommendations of the Constitution Review Committee (CRC) significantly strengthens the influence of the Minority in Parliament.
According to him, constitutional amendments require the support of at least 75 percent of Members of Parliament, a threshold he says makes unilateral action by any political party impossible.
“Every conversation, every discussion must go through Parliament… So as far as this is concerned, once the people approve, all discussions and all changes go through Parliament.
“It is just a different threshold within Parliament. In my opinion, this is what makes the minority very powerful, irrespective of how small they are,” Barker-Vormawor stated during a discussion on constitutional reforms on JoyNews on Saturday, December 27, 2025.
He noted that even with a majority in Parliament, the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) would not be able to meet the constitutional requirements of amending the 1992 Constitution on its own and would need bipartisan engagement.
“There is no way you can be able to meet the threshold that is required for the amendments without the minority being part of it. Meaning that there is no way the NDC can run and say we are changing everything without them,” he explained.
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The CRC has presented its final report to President John Dramani Mahama.
Key among the proposals is an extension of the presidential term of office from four years to five years, as part of recommendations aimed at strengthening governance and policy continuity.
Other proposals are changes to local governance, including the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives and the inclusion of traditional chiefs in local government structures.
JKB/AM
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