In spite of a Supreme Court order that temporarily halts a decision by Speaker of the House of Representatives Alban Bagbin, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minority Leader in Parliament, has reiterated his caucus’s will to protect their parliamentary majority.
On Thursday, October 17, Speaker Bagbin announced that four parliamentary seats were vacant, sparking the dispute. Three current Members of Parliament (MPs) declared their desire to run as independent candidates in the general elections of 2024, which caused this.
Second Deputy Speaker Andrew Amoako Asiamah, who first ran as an independent in Parliament, also announced his intention to run in the next elections under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) banner.
With 136 MPs to the NPP’s 135 and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) caucus a tiny advantage, Bagbin’s announcement would have changed the balance of power in Parliament.
The NDC may have gained the majority in the House as a result of this change in the numbers.
But in a unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court decided to halt Speaker Bagbin’s announcement, preventing an immediate vacancy in the seats and preserving the present number of members in parliament.
Speaking at a news conference on Sunday, October 20, Dr. Ato Forson stated that the Minority Caucus is determined to protect what they see to be their legitimate majority in spite of the verdict.
He stated that his team would “jealously guard” their position and expressed their unwillingness to back down or relent in their pursuit of what they believe is a fair representation in Parliament.
“The effect of the Speaker’s declaration is that currently, we no longer have an independent member of parliament. The NPP has 135 members… This effectively utters the configurations of parliament significantly.
“The NPP group is now the minority caucus as defined in Order 6 of the Standing Orders of Parliament. The minority caucus means members of the party or parties that have the second largest number of seats in parliament.
“The NDC MPs in parliament now constitute the majority caucus in this 8th Parliament. We will jealously protect our new majority status and we will not bow, retreat nor surrender our lawfully earned status,” he stated.
Additionally, Dr. Forson used the occasion to attack the Supreme Court’s involvement in what he defined as a case involving Parliament’s independence.
He maintained that concerns over the distribution of power among the government’s branches were aroused by the judiciary’s participation in parliamentary matters.
Source: Citinewsroom