Draft Parliamentary Transition Bill presented to Speaker
Consultants from the CDT, Professor Kwamina Ahwoi and Nana Ato Dadzie, who made the presentation, noted that the draft bill among others proposes the election of the Speaker of Parliament by an Electoral College of MPs.
A draft Parliamentary Transition Bill from the Center for Democratic Transitions (CDT) has been presented to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin.
Consultants from the CDT, Professor Kwamina Ahwoi and Nana Ato Dadzie, who made the presentation, noted that the draft bill among others proposes the election of the Speaker of Parliament by an Electoral College of MPs.
The draft bill further recommends that to avoid unnecessary complications and complexities in the future, the Electoral Commission should be responsible for the election of the Speaker of Parliament.
“The Speaker, once elected and sworn in, will then supervise the election of the deputies. These would have to be done at least two days before the Speaker presides over Parliament for the swearing-in of the President-elect of the Republic, in consonance with the Presidential Transition Act,” Professor Ahwoi is quoted to have said.
Parliamentary Transition Act
The calls for a Parliamentary Transition Act particularly followed the events of January 7, 2021, during the election of Speaker Alban Bagbin. At a public lecture in July, Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu noted that a Parliamentary Transition Act had become necessary in light of recent wranglings by MPs.
“Transitioning from one parliament to another under the Fourth Republican Constitution has had gaps and doubtful legal validity, that have created challenges from one parliament to another in particular, and for democratic governance in general.
The purpose of the draft bill, therefore, is to ensure a smooth, seamless, and peaceful transition for the legislature,” Parliament said on its website.
