R-L: Cynthia Morrison with Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin and Kennedy Agyapong after parliamentary proceedings yesterday
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban S.K. Bagbin, has announced the indefinite adjournment of Parliament following the Supreme Court ruling and concerns about the current quorum of the House.
The decision was made during a meeting yesterday, as he addressed the House on matters related to the composition and constitution of Parliament.
In his statement, Speaker Bagbin explained that the decision was prompted by a recent ruling from the Supreme Court regarding four Members of Parliament (MPs) whose seats were declared vacant.
The apex court directed Parliament to allow the four MPs to resume their duties and represent their constituents until a final determination is made in the case filed by the Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin.
“As you may recall, on Thursday (October 17, 2024), I informed the House, pursuant to Standing Order 18 of the Standing Orders of Parliament, on the occurrence of vacancies in the House in relation to four Honourable members.
“Yesterday (referring to October 21, 2024), I received a process from the Supreme Court, which is a ruling from the Supreme Court pursuant to an ex parte application directing Parliament to recognise and allow the four affected Members of Parliament to duly represent their constituents and conduct the full scope of duties of their offices as members of Parliament, pending a final determination of a suit filed by Honourable Alexander Afenyo-Markin,” Speaker Bagbin stated.
Despite the Supreme Court’s directive, Mr. Bagbin noted that while the House had the required quorum to transact business, it did not meet the constitutional threshold to take decisions, citing Article 102 and Article 104 of the 1992 Constitution.
“I note that we currently have a quorum to transact business, but not to take decisions… A quorum of Parliament, apart from the person presiding, shall be one-third of all the Members of Parliament.
“As presently constituted, the numbers are far above one-third of the Members of Parliament. But by Article 104, the numbers are not sufficient for us to take decisions,” he explained.
Speaker Bagbin further elaborated on the requirements under Article 104(1), which mandates that for Parliament to take decisions, at least half of all Members of Parliament must be present and voting.
According to him, with the current composition of the House falling short of this requirement, no decisions could be taken, hence, the adjournment of the House sine die.
“Hon. Members, we don’t have at least half of all the Members of Parliament present,” Bagbin stated.
Given the unresolved questions surrounding the composition of Parliament, Speaker Bagbin exercised his discretionary powers under Standing Order 59 to adjourn the House indefinitely in consultation with the leadership of Parliament.
“Consequently, in view of the current circumstances, the fact that there’s a question on the composition and constitution of Parliament, and having regard to the public interest and the exigencies of the state of affairs in Parliament, I will proceed to, in accordance with Standing Orders 59, adjourn the House indefinitely,” he declared.
The Speaker also confirmed that leadership had been consulted on the decision, emphasising the public interest and the current state of affairs in the country as key factors in the adjournment.
“Honourable members, I have consulted leadership, and I am exercising my discretion to decide to suspend a meeting of the House indefinitely. The House is accordingly adjourned sine die,” Bagbin concluded.
The indefinite adjournment of Parliament comes at a time of heightened political tension, with ongoing legal challenges and concerns over the functioning of the legislature.
The suspension of Parliament leaves several legislative matters, including the budget for next year pending, as the country awaits the final determination of the Supreme Court in the case involving the four MPs.
Majority Leader
Before this, the Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, reaffirmed the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) commitment to upholding the law and preserving peace in Ghana.
In an interview with the media in Parliament, Mr. Afenyo-Markin stated that the Supreme Court had unanimously ruled against the Speaker’s interpretation of the law, nullifying the Speaker’s decision to unseat four MPs.
He emphasised that the NPP has a law-abiding tradition, citing the party’s history of using civil advocacy and the courts to correct wrongs since 1992.
He expressed concern that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was seeking to disrupt democracy and destroy the nation, but assured that the NPP would not provide a platform for lawlessness.
The Majority Leader also commended the NDC MP for Bolgatanga East, Dr. Dominic Ayine, for calling on the Speaker to respect the Supreme Court decision, describing it as a noble call.
He said he believed that moderates within the NDC would prevail upon their colleagues to respect the law.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House