When is Ghanaian Constitution Day?
Constitution Day is a statutory public holiday in Ghana, observed on January 7th.
This day marks the coming into effect of the 1992 Constitution and the birth of the Fourth Republic on this day in 1993.
History of Ghanaian Constitution Day
The 1992 Constitution came into force for the Fourth Republic of Ghana, on January 7th 1993, following its overwhelming approval in a referendum held on April 28th 1992.
The Constitution defines the fundamental political principles, establishing the structure, procedures, powers and duties of the government, structure of the judiciary and legislature, and spells out the fundamental rights and duties of a citizen.
January 7th is also the day new Heads of State are sworn into office in Ghana after elections.
The day is intended to acknowledge Ghana's collective efforts at ensuring that the tenets of democracy, rule of law and principles of constitutionalism are upheld.
The Fourth Republic has now endured for longer than any of the three previous republics, which were all cut short by military intervention.
Constitution Day is a new Public Holiday, which was observed for the first time in Ghana on January 7th 2019. This day has been declared as an additional holiday under Section 2 of the Public Holiday Act, 2001 (Act 601).
The newly designated holiday is intended to remind Ghanaians of their commitment to uphold the tenets of the rule of law, constitutionalism and democracy.
More importantly, the day is to remind the citizens of their collective commitment to a regime of uninterrupted constitutional order.
The addition of Constitution Day relegated Republic Day (July 1st) from a public holiday to a commemorative day.
