Ghana’s Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has announced that Parliament will reconvene on Monday, December 16, 2024, following the country’s general elections.
The venue for the session, the 7th meeting of the 4th session of the 8th Parliament, will be disclosed to Members of Parliament (MPs) in due course, according to a notice issued on December 2, 2024, and signed by the Speaker.
“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 statement read.
The reconvening of Parliament after the December 7 general elections is significant as it will usher in newly elected MPs from both the majority and minority sides. The session will likely address transitional issues and prepare for the swearing-in of the next Parliament.
This decision follows Speaker Bagbin’s earlier refusal of a request by Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin to call Parliament back on November 28 and 29 to address pressing matters.
Bagbin maintained that parliamentary proceedings would remain suspended until after the general elections, citing the absence of a prepared agenda from the Business Committee.
The announcement comes in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling on November 12, 2024, overturning Speaker Bagbin’s earlier declaration of four parliamentary seats as vacant. The legal battle, initiated by Afenyo-Markin, centred on the criteria for declaring parliamentary seats vacant.
In a majority decision, five Supreme Court justices ruled that a seat could only be declared vacant if an MP switches political parties while retaining their parliamentary position. Furthermore, the ruling clarified that the Speaker’s decision could not take effect during the current parliamentary term.
Two dissenting justices, however, contended that the Supreme Court lacked jurisdiction over the matter, reflecting divisions in the judiciary over the interpretation of parliamentary rules and constitutional authority.
The reconvening of Parliament after the elections ensures that legislative processes can continue without interfering with the electoral period. The decision also reflects the political and legal challenges facing the current Parliament, including unresolved issues about parliamentary vacancies and the balance of power between the legislature and the judiciary.
As MPs prepare to return to the House, the upcoming session will likely feature deliberations on critical national issues, including the fallout from the elections and ongoing legal and governance matters.