Parliament to Reconvene on December 16, 2024
Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has announced that Parliament will reconvene on Monday, December 16, 2024, following the December 7 general elections. The venue for the seventh meeting of the fourth session of the eighth Parliament will be communicated to Members of Parliament (MPs) in due course.
In a notice issued on December 2, and signed by the Speaker, Mr. Bagbin stated:
“Pursuant to order 58 of the standing orders of the Parliament of Ghana, I, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Speaker of Parliament, hereby give notice that the seventh meeting of the fourth session of the eighth parliament of the Fourth Republic shall commence on Monday, the 16th day of December 2024 at ten o’clock in the forenoon at a place to be appointed by the speaker in due course.”
The decision comes after Speaker Bagbin declined a request from Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin to recall Parliament on November 28 and 29 to address pressing matters. The Speaker maintained that parliamentary activities would remain suspended until after the elections.
The adjournment, initially announced during a suspension of proceedings, was attributed to the absence of a prepared agenda from the Business Committee.
Supreme Court Ruling on Vacant Seats
The reconvening of Parliament follows significant developments, including a Supreme Court ruling on November 12, which overturned Speaker Bagbin’s decision to declare four parliamentary seats vacant. The court ruled in favor of a challenge brought by Mr. Afenyo-Markin, asserting that a parliamentary seat can only be declared vacant if a legislator switches political parties while retaining their position in Parliament.
The five justices who sided with the Majority Leader noted that the Speaker’s decision could not take effect during the current parliamentary term. However, two dissenting justices argued that the Supreme Court lacked jurisdiction in the matter, exposing a divide in judicial interpretation.
With the session scheduled to resume, Parliament will be poised to address post-election priorities and set the agenda for the final stretch of its term.
