Public split over Parliament impasse: Majority rates legislature poor, others rate average, good - Graphic poll

Respondents in a Daily Graphic online poll are almost equally split over how much the recent issues in Parliament will affect their choices in the December 7 general election.

While 2,392 of the respondents, representing 50.51 per cent of the poll participants, said the issues in the Legislature would affect their electoral choices in December, the remaining 2,344 of the overall 4,736 participants, representing 49.49 per cent of the participants, said the issues would have no bearing on their decision on December 7.

Interestingly, just 1,262 participants, representing 26.65 per cent of participants, rated the current Parliament’s work as “good”, while 1,913, representing 40.39 per cent of the poll participants, rated the legislature’s performance as “poor”, with the remaining 1,561, representing 32.96 per cent of the poll participants, rating Parliament’s work as “average”.

The poll was run by the Graphic Online web-based platform for the Daily Graphic, and, therefore, accessible by internet users and visitors to the website.

Poll features

It was run across 120 hours and was available to respondents living in Ghana, targeting likely voters.

Indeed, 4,493 of the respondents, representing 94.87 per cent of participants, indicated they are voters, with the remaining 243, representing just 5.13 per cent of participants, indicating they are not voters.

One part of the poll asked respondents if they were satisfied with the current developments in Parliament, while the second part asked respondents if the current impasse in the Legislature would influence their decision on which party to vote for on December 7.

Context

Ghana’s Parliament has gained international attention recently after four Members of Parliament (MPs) were deemed to have vacated their seats, at the time, by filing to contest the next elections under sponsorships different from the interests they currently represent in the Legislature.

The situation as communicated by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, had implications for the composition of Parliament in terms of the new Majority and Minority caucuses, with the possibility of affecting even the composition of the various committees of Parliament.

Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, subsequently applied to the Supreme Court for redress, with the apex court reversing the communication of the Speaker of Parliament last Tuesday.

Before this, Mr Bagbin, addressing the media on issues in Parliament last week, alleged that the Executive and Judiciary as the other arms of Ghana's democratic governance system, had conspired to weaken Parliament.

Indeed, some watchers of Ghana's political space have raised concern about the long-term effect of the Judiciary's intervention in the parliamentary events, with questions lingering about where the lines of separation of powers lie, and whether this is how the concept of checks and balances apply.

While some argue that the Judiciary has overstepped its boundaries by dabbling in the work of the Legislature, others insist that the controversy needed an external power to settle it, hence the intervention by the Supreme Court.

A Political Science lecturer at the University of Education, Winneba, Gilbert Arhinful Aidoo, said instances such as this — where political or procedural disputes overshadowed core legislative duties — “risk undermining public confidence and trust in this all-important institution of State”.

"Unless parliamentary independence and the authority of its leadership are safeguarded, such controversies may erode the institution's effectiveness".

"The issue exposes vulnerabilities in how parliamentary authority and autonomy are sometimes compromised by political influences, especially if processes lack transparency," Mr Aidoo said.

The legislative arm, he insisted, remained inevitably critical in every democracy, and that "no democracy can thrive without the people’s representatives, who, in principle, should be serving the interest and well-being of their constituents by putting the Executive arm and other institutions of state in check".

Mr Aidoo said Ghana’s Parliament had a crucial role beyond merely meeting procedural requirements by acting as a platform for legislative scrutiny, accountability and representation of the masses.

"However, the recent controversy over the declaration of four parliamentary seats vacant brings into sharp focus questions about its strength and true relevance in the democratic dispensation of the country," the lecturer said.

"On one hand, Parliament is expected to be a powerful institution that checks the Executive and ensures (that) laws reflect the people’s will.

"Conversely, this situation could also be seen as a test of Parliament’s resilience. If handled with integrity and respect for the rule of law, it could affirm Parliament’s commitment to fair representation and accountability," he added.

Mr Aidoo said while Ghana’s Parliament remained a significant democratic pillar, its strength hinged on maintaining impartiality, avoiding "hyper-competitive partisan contests", and promoting trust, as well as upholding the principles of true democratic governance amid challenges.

Diminishing influence

The Communications Officer of the Parliamentary Network Africa (PNAfrica), Clement Akoloh, contended that Parliament’s relevance in recent years “has been increasingly questioned, particularly when it comes to its independence and ability to challenge the Executive”.

“Parliament’s primary function — debating and passing laws, scrutinising the Executive and representing citizens — often gets overshadowed by partisan politics and Executive influence, leaving it sometimes as a procedural formality rather than a robust democratic check,” he said.

Mr Akoloh added that the controversy over the declaration of four seats vacant had exposed the weaknesses in Parliament’s mandate as an arm of government.

“The involvement of the Judiciary in interpreting constitutional provisions concerning seat vacancies, rather than Parliament resolving the matter internally, has diminished the Legislature’s authority.

This raises concerns that Parliament is being bypassed in favour of judicial intervention, weakening its role as the primary decision-maker in political and legal matters,” the communications officer of the think tank said.

Mr Akoloh said while the Speaker's independence and the fragmented nature of the eighth Parliament might empower it to some extent, “the perception of collusion between the Executive and the Judiciary undermines Parliament's authority”.

“In essence, the controversy has weakened Parliament’s relevance by further diminishing its power to act autonomously and assert itself as an independent arm of government,” he argued.

The Head of the Department of Political Science of the University for Development Studies, Dr Gbensuglo Alidu Bukari, observed that Parliament’s “display of power rivalry and self-serving party interest rather than upholding the constitutionalism of Parliament and peoples’ representation” had weakened the Legislature against the other two arms of government.

He said “this political behaviour weakens the constitutional powers (separation of powers) vested in the House of Parliament” through the judicial review powers of the Supreme Court.

Dr Bukari said although Parliament was one of the most important building blocks of constitutional democracy, “in African democracy and elections, they are commonly dismissed as ‘rubber stamps’ despite mounting evidence that Parliament shapes political and developmental trajectories in many critical ways”.

He said the eighth Parliament presented the country with a different model of parliamentary representation in the form of a hung Parliament, which “should have been an opportunity for political interactions between parliamentarians of both sides of the House for consensus building for the purposes of government business”.

Dr Bukari said Parliament must assert its powers and authority over Judicial and Executive arms of government control.

A political scientist, Dr Samuel Kofi Darkwa, said while the debate continued to unfold, it was clear that both the Speaker’s actions and the Supreme Court’s ruling were drawing greater public interest to the complexities of parliamentary processes.

“This engagement could ultimately promote a more informed citizenry, keen on upholding democratic values and the rule of law in Ghana,” he said.

Dr Darkwa said it could be argued that the issues had reinforced the principles of separation of powers and checks and balances as vital concepts for a healthy democracy.

He said the Supreme Court's intervention could be interpreted as serving to clarify the boundaries of legislative and judicial authority, thus preventing any single branch of government from amassing unchecked power.

“Critics argue that the Supreme Court's decision undermines the authority and independence of Parliament, effectively diminishing the Speaker’s power to make crucial decisions.

They view this as a direct affront to Parliament's autonomy, suggesting that it signals a troubling precedent where judicial intervention in legislative matters becomes commonplace,” the respected academic observed.

He, however, also argued that the ruling also brought important public attention to the workings of Parliament and highlighted the necessity for strict adherence to constitutional principles, adding that such scrutiny could, in the long term, contribute to a more robust governance system and enhanced transparency.