Parliament of Ghana explained

Parliament of Ghana
Legislature:8th Parliament of the 4th Republic
Coa Pic:Ghana Parliament Emblem.png
Coa Res:frameless
House Type:Unicameral
Leader1 Type:Speaker
Leader1:Alban Bagbin (NDC)
Leader2 Type:Majority Leader
Leader2:Alexander Afenyo-Markin (NPP)
Election1:7 January 2021
Election2:February 2024 [1]
Members:275[2]
Structure1:Parliament of Ghana 2020.svg
Structure1 Res:250px
Political Groups1:Majority (138): [3]

Minority (137):

Last Election1:7 December 2020
Session Room:Parliament House (State House) – Parliament of Ghana.jpg
Session Res:270px
Voting System1:First-past-the-post
Meeting Place:Parliament House
Accra, Greater Accra
Republic of Ghana

The Parliament of Ghana is the legislative body of the Government of Ghana.

History

Legislative representation in Ghana dates back to 1850, when the country was a British colony known as Gold Coast. The body called the Legislative Council, was purely advisory as the Governor exercised all legislative and executive powers. Reforms were introduced in 1916 and 1925, although the governor's power remained extensive. In 1946, a new constitution was introduced that allowed for an unofficial member of the Legislative Council to become its president while the governor ceased to be the ex officio president of the body. This system continued until 1951 when the Legislature elected its first Speaker - Sir Emmanuel Charles Quist.

1951 was also the first year that elections based on universal suffrage were held. The Convention People's Party (CPP) which was formed in 1949 and led by Kwame Nkrumah won the election. Another party called the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) led by J.B. Danquah fared poorly and was disbanded soon after. Nkrumah, who had been jailed in early 1950 for subversion, was released and appointed Leader of Government Business, becoming the country's first Prime Minister in the following year.

Legislative Assembly elections held in 1954 resulted in another CPP victory, with the party winning 71 out of a total of 104 seats. It also won 71 out of 104 seats in the 1956 Legislative Assembly election. The Gold Coast was renamed to Ghana and granted independence on Wednesday, 6 March 1957, while retaining the British monarch as head of state. The Legislative Assembly was renamed National Assembly.

After the approval of a new Republican constitution, Ghana officially became a republic on 1 July 1960 with Kwame Nkrumah as its President. The plebiscite was taken as a fresh mandate from the people and the terms of National Assembly members were extended for another five years. A one-party state was introduced following a referendum in 1964. As a result, only CPP candidates stood in the National Assembly Election held in 1965. Nkrumah was overthrown in 1966 by the military, which banned political parties and dissolved the National Assembly.

The country returned to civilian rule in 1969. Elections held on 29 August same year resulted in victory for the Progress Party (PP) of Kofi Abrefa Busia, which won 105 of the National Assembly's 140 seats. He took office as Prime Minister on 3 September 1969. His government was toppled in a 1972 military coup.

During the Third Republic, which lasted from 1979 to 1981, the dominant party in the National Assembly was the People's National Party (PNP), led by Hilla Limann, which won 71 out of 104 seats in elections held on 18 June 1979. After the military intervened in 1981, all elected institutions were dissolved and political party activity was prohibited.

Parliament of the Fourth Republic

After 11 years of military rule, a new constitution was approved in a 1992 referendum. Presidential elections were held in November and were won by Jerry Rawlings, leader of the 1981 coup and subsequent military ruler. The opposition contested the results and boycotted the December parliamentary elections. As a result, Rawlings' National Democratic Congress (NDC) won 189 out of 200 seats in Parliament.

All parties participated in the 1996 parliamentary elections. The NDC won 133 out of a total of 200 seats, while the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) won 60. Two smaller political party groups won the remaining seats.

The 2000 elections were significant in the sense that, President Rawlings was constitutionally barred from seeking another term. In the presidential poll, John Kufuor of the NPP defeated the NDC candidate John Atta Mills in a run-off election. In the 200-seat Parliament, the NPP won 100, followed by the NDC's 92. Smaller political party groups and independent candidates won the remaining seats.

Kufuor was re-elected in 2004 and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) won 128 out of 230 seats in the concurrent parliamentary election. The main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) won 94, while two other parties - The People's National Convention (PNC) and Convention People's Party (CPP) - won 4 and 3 seats respectively. Independent candidates captured the remaining seat.

The simple majority (or First Past the Post) voting system is used in Ghana's parliamentary elections. Since 2012, the country is divided into 275 single-member constituencies. Members serve four-year terms.

Leadership structure

The Speaker cannot be a Member of Parliament though they must possess the qualifications to stand for elections as a Member of Parliament, such person on appointment as Speaker must resign and declare the seat occupied in Parliament as vacant. The Speaker is assisted by two Deputy Speakers (First and Second Deputy Speakers), who are elected at the commencement of every Parliament. They must come from different political parties. The current Speaker is Alban Kingsford Sumani Bagbin.

2020 elections

See main article: 2020 Ghanaian general election. The distribution of seats among the parties following the 2020 general election is as follows.[4]

Composition of Parliament after the 2018 Ghanaian new regions referendum

RegionNPPNDCInd.Total
Ahafo42-6
Ashanti424147
Bono66-12
Bono East38-11
Central1013-23
Eastern258-33
Greater Accra1420-34
Northern99-18
North East42-6
Oti-8-8
Savannah34-7
Upper East114-15
Upper West38-11
Volta117-18
Western98-17
Western North36-9
Total1371371275

Committees of Parliament

As at November 2020, the Parliament had fourteen Standing Committees and sixteen Select Committees. There was also one ad hoc committee.[5]

Standing Committees:Appointments • Business • Committee of Selection • Finance • Gender and Children
Government Assurance • House • Judiciary • Members Holding Offices of Profit • Privileges
Public Accounts • Special Budget • Standing Orders • Subsidiary Legislation
Select Committees:Communications • Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs • Defence and Interior • Education • Employment, Social Welfare and State Enterprises
Environment, Science and Technology • Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs • Foreign Affairs • Health • Lands and Forestry • Local Government and Rural Development
Mines and Energy • Roads and Transport • Standing Orders • Trade, Industry and Tourism • Works and Housing • Youth, Sports and Culture
Ad-hoc Committee:
Poverty Reduction Strategy committee

Past Speakers of the National Assembly/Parliament

See main article: Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana.

Gold Coast (1951 – 1957)

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and National Assembly in 1957

Independent State within the Commonwealth (1957 – 1960) / First Republic (1960 – 1966)

Speakers of the National Assembly

NameTook officeLeft officeNotes
Augustus Molade AkiwumiFebruary 1958June 1960
Joseph Richard AsieduJuly 1960June 1965
Kofi Asante Ofori-Atta10 June 196524 February 1966

Second Republic (1969 – 1972)

Speaker of the National Assembly

Third Republic (1979 – 1981)

Speaker of the National Assembly

Fourth Republic (1992 – present)

Speakers of Parliament

NameTook officeLeft officeNotes
Daniel Francis Annan7 January 19936 January 2001
Peter Ala Adjetey7 January 20016 January 2005
Ebenezer Sekyi Hughes7 January 20056 January 2009
Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo7 January 20096 January 2013
Edward Adjaho7 January 20136 January 2017
Aaron Mike Oquaye7 January 20176 January 2021
Alban Sumani Bagbin7 January 2021Incumbent[7]

Members of parliament

The composition of the Parliament has changed over the years. There were 140 members in both the Second and the Third Republic parliaments.

In the current Fourth Republic, the number of MPs first increased to 200 and subsequently to 275. There have been 8 parliaments so far in the Fourth Republic.[8] The list of its members are below.

Parliamentary constituencies

See main article: Ghana Parliament constituencies.

See also

External links

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ghana's majority New Patriotic Party in Parliament sees seismic shifts in leadership post-Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu's resignation, as celebrated leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin steps in as Majority Leader. Meet the new political bosses. 10 July 2024. 21 July 2024.
  2. Web site: Statistics . Ghana Elections Peace Fm Online. 17 July 2019.
  3. Web site: NPP asks Speaker Bagbin to remain impartial as it maintains majority. 21 January 2021. Myjoyonline.. en. 21 January 2021.
  4. Web site: Parliamentary Results For Elections 2020 . www.ghanaweb.com . 10 April 2024.
  5. Web site: Committees of Parliament . 16 November 2020 . Parliament of Ghana.
  6. Web site: Parliament of Ghana.
  7. Web site: Bagbin elected Speaker of Parliament . 8 January 2021 . MyJoyOnline. . 7 January 2021 . en-US.
  8. Web site: 7 January 2021. Who is Alban Bagbin? All You Need to Know About Ghana's 7th Speaker of Parliament The Accra Times. 6 March 2021. en-US.