The Supreme Court of Ghana, is set deliver a historical judgement on the case that ha been described as both Parliamentary and Constitutional crisis, the case of the “Vacant Seat declaration in Parliament”.
The Leader of Government Businesses, Afenyo Markin filed a court case against the declaration of four vacant seats in parliament, which ended up rendering the NPP their majority status in Parliament. The Supreme after hearing on the case, ordered that the declaration be put on hold pending the court case.
Speaker Bagbin, however, challenged this interim injunction, filing a motion to have the court reverse its decision following the injunction case filed by Afenyo Markin to prevent any action on the vacated seats.
The case for the past weeks has ignited lots of political debates amidst the adjournment and suspension of Parliament indefinitely by the Speaker of Parliament. It has also brought to public discourse, the powers the Speaker yields under the constitution, somehow questioning his authority.
After crushing out the argument by the Speaker of Parliament that freezing his declaration infringed upon his duties as Speaker and that his decision was within his powers to maintain parliamentary integrity, the Supreme Court will deliver their final judgment today.
