Constitution review rules give minority in parliament ‘veto-style’ leverage – Barker-Vormawor
By DL News
Published
1 min read
Barker-Vormawor stressed that even if the National Democratic Congress (NDC) were to secure a comfortable majority, it could not “run and say we are changing everything” without engaging the minority side in negotiations.
Convener of the FixTheCountry Movement, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, says the legal thresholds for amending Ghana’s 1992 Constitution mean no single political party can push through reforms without the backing of the minority in Parliament.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, 27 December, he noted that any attempt to revise the Constitution in line with the Constitution Review Committee’s (CRC) proposals would require at least 75% support in the legislature.
He argued that this super-majority requirement automatically elevates the influence of the minority caucus, regardless of its numerical strength.
“Once the people approve, every change must still pass through Parliament,” he explained, adding that the only difference is the higher approval bar. In his view, this makes the minority “very powerful” because no governing party can, on its own, meet the three-quarters threshold.
Barker-Vormawor stressed that even if the National Democratic Congress (NDC) were to secure a comfortable majority, it could not “run and say we are changing everything” without engaging the minority side in negotiations.
His comments come amid growing public debate over the CRC’s far-reaching recommendations and the complex political consensus that will be required to turn them into binding constitutional amendments.
