A member of Parliament of Ghana is seen during a break from electing a new leader of parliament in Accra, Ghana, on January 7, 2021. (Photo by Nipah Dennis / AFP)
Ghana’s parliament was adjourned indefinitely again Thursday following a no-show by lawmakers from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) during a high-stakes session shortly before elections.
The absence of the NPP legislators stalled government business, including crucial budget approvals needed to pay public sector workers ahead of December’s closely contested presidential vote.
The political impasse stems from the speaker’s decision in October to declare four seats vacant, arguing that the sitting MPs had broken the constitution by shifting party affiliation.
That ruling gave the opposition a slim majority in the house.
Ghana’s Supreme Court overturned that decision last week, arguing that the vacancies would deprive hundreds of thousands of Ghanaians of representation ahead of the December 7 elections.
“As you can see, one side of the House is completely empty,” said the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, addressing a half-empty chamber holding only opposition MPs from the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
“We have a quorum to sit, but we have no business before us to transact. We are compelled to once again adjourn the sitting of the House indefinitely.”
Despite the NPP’s emergency recall request, they failed to attend when the house was called to order, leaving the opposition NDC MPs, who had taken their seats at the majority side, visibly frustrated.
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Cassiel Ato Forson, the parliamentary leader for the NDC, accused the ruling party of political negligence and wasting the legislature’s time.
“This is an abuse of the constitution and the standing orders of Ghana’s parliament,” Forson told the media.
“We don’t intend to disrupt government business. We turn out in our numbers only to realise there is no urgent business. They have given up and want this election to come so they can hand over.”
Outgoing majority leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin countered that the speaker should reverse his decision given the Supreme Court’s ruling.
He argued that Bagbin was “supervising confusion” in Parliament. “The speaker is setting the country on fire…,” Afenyo-Markin told reporters.
“We, the majority caucus, call on the speaker one more time to demonstrate statesmanship. The speaker is hurting democracy. We won’t participate in the chaos theatre they are waiting for in the chamber.”
With Ghana’s economic recovery hanging in the balance following a severe financial crisis, the prolonged suspension of parliament has raised concerns over budgetary allocations and economic governance.
Analysts warn that a delay in passing the budget could disrupt public services and heighten voter dissatisfaction ahead of the polls.
Bagbin’s indefinite adjournment of the House has left Ghana in uncharted territory.
As the nation awaits its December vote, the parliamentary deadlock has underscored the risk of economic and political instability in one of West Africa’s most respected democracies.
By: Agence France-Presse
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