Speaker Bagbin declares 4 Parliamentary seats vacant
By DL News
Published
2 min read
This decision significantly shifts the balance in Ghana’s hung parliament, where the New Patriotic Party (NPP) previously held a slim majority with the help of Independent Member of Parliament Andrew Amoako Asiamah.
Parliament's Speaker, Alban Sumana Bagbin, has officially declared four parliamentary seats vacant, just two months ahead of the December elections.
This decision significantly shifts the balance in Ghana’s hung parliament, where the New Patriotic Party (NPP) previously held a slim majority with the help of Independent Member of Parliament Andrew Amoako Asiamah. With the new ruling, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) now holds 136 seats, while the NPP has 135, down from their previous 138 seats.
The MPs affected by the ruling include Peter Yaw Kwakye Ackah of Amenfi Central (NDC), Andrew Amoako Asiamah of Fomena (Independent), Kojo Asante of Suhum (NPP), and Cynthia Morrison of Agona West (NPP).
In his ruling delivered on Thursday, October 17, Speaker Bagbin invoked Article 97 (1)(g) of the 1992 Constitution. He argued that if this article only applied to future parliaments, it would be unnecessary, as the MPs would have already completed their terms. Additionally, he noted that former Speaker Prof. Mike Oquaye's decision to expel the Fomena MP for going independent did not set a binding precedent.
Bagbin asserted that since the four MPs had been confirmed as running independently in upcoming elections, they no longer had a right to remain in their seats, thus declaring them vacant.
This ruling follows a petition filed by NDC MP Haruna Iddrisu, which prompted intense debate from both sides of the house. The petition specifically targeted three NPP members and one NDC member, citing Article 97 (1)(g), which states that MPs must vacate their seat if they leave their party or decide to run as independents.
The Speaker’s ruling came after two days of deliberation and debate. Former Speaker Prof. Mike Oquaye had previously argued that only the NPP should be able to petition for the declaration of vacant seats, not any other individuals or groups.
Before the ruling, Professor Kofi Abotsi, Dean of UPSA Law School, stated that any individual has the right to report an MP who chooses to run as an independent, not just the political party. He explained that MPs are primarily accountable to the Constitution and secondarily to their political parties, which are merely vehicles for their election to Parliament. He emphasized that unconstitutional actions are inherently void, regardless of who initiates a complaint.
