By Prince Ahenkorah
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, has adjourned the house indefinitely, stating that while the members present can form a quorum to transact business, they cannot make decisions.
The Speaker, made this announcement on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, amidst rising tensions, regarding which party, NPP or NDC, remains the majority in Parliament.
He recalled that four parliamentary seats had been declared vacant and noted, “Honorable members, as you may recall, on Thursday, I informed the house, pursuant to Standing Order 18 of our standing orders, about the occurrence of vacancies concerning four honorable members.”
Bagbin highlighted that he had received a ruling from the Supreme Court, resulting from an ex parte application, directing Parliament to recognize and allow the four affected members to duly represent their constituents and perform their full duties as members of Parliament, pending the final determination of a suit filed by Alexander Afenyo Markins.
He referred to Article 102 of the Constitution, stating, “A quorum of Parliament, apart from the person presiding, shall be one-third of all the members of Parliament.”
He added that the current numbers are indeed above one-third, but as per Article 104, they are insufficient to make decisions.
He read Article 104, which states, “Except as otherwise provided in this Constitution, matters in Parliament shall be determined by the votes of the majority of the members present and voting, with at least half of all the members of Parliament present.”
The Speaker reiterated, “We don’t have at least half of the members present,” emphasizing the need, in accordance with Standing Order 59, to adjourn the house indefinitely.
Standing Order 59 states, “The Speaker may, in consultation with leadership, suspend a meeting of the house indefinitely or for a period determined by the Speaker, considering the exigency of the state of affairs in the country.”
In the wake of this decision, the NDC caucus continues to claim the majority in Parliament. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson stated, “we see ourselves as the majority. We hope this house would be recalled and we take our majority status.
Haruna Iddrisu, added that the best authority to resolve this issue is the Supreme Court and urged the court to provide a proper interpretation of the relevant provisions of Article 97, sections 1(g) and (h).
