Parliament resumes sitting today

Parliament is set to resume sitting today, following the abrupt end of proceedings last Tuesday.

This was due to the lack of quorum required for a parliamentary business to go on, as Members of Parliament (MPs) on both the Majority and Minority sides were said to have travelled to the Assin North Constituency in the Central Region for the by-election.

When proceedings began from 11.30 a.m. to 11.54 a.m., there were only 14 MPs present in the House.

There were 11 Majority MPs led by the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, and three Minority MPs, led on the frontbench by the MP for Builsa North, James Agalga.

With the by-elections over and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate, James Gyakye Quayson, winning the poll, members of the House are set to return for Business today. 

Absence of MPs

The conspicuous absence of MPs from both sides of the House was attributed to the high stakes in the by-election last Tuesday.

The Leader of the House, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, informed the First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu, that most MPs were at Assin North for the by-election.

“Mr Speaker, we recognise that there is a very important activity which is taking place outside the precinct of Parliament and many of our colleagues are deeply involved in that enterprise.

“Mr Speaker, I think it is significant to observe that for today’s sitting, the Majority outnumber the Minority by about 300 per cent,” he jokingly said.

Questions stood down

Two ministers of state, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, and the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, were to respond to various questions from MPs.

However, the Majority leader suggested that those questioned be stood down for the House to deal with just the presentation of some papers, after which an adjournment would be taken.

Support

Throwing his weight behind the suggestion by the Majority leader, the available Minority leader, Mr Agalga, also acknowledged that it was obvious the House was “not properly constituted to transact any meaningful business”.

“But if it is about the presentation of papers, I do not think that should cause us any injury.

Therefore, we will yield and we can do the presentation of papers,” he said.

Mr Osei-Owusu subsequently adjourned the House until Thursday, June 29, 2023,

Quorum

The 1992 Constitution requires that a quorum of Parliament, apart from the person presiding, shall be one-third of the 275 the MPs.