No Speaker has the right to impede government business – Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu fires

Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has underscored the importance of the Speaker of Parliament in parliamentary business.

He adds, however, that despite the key role of the Speaker, the office holder does not have the right to unilaterally attempt to block government business in the lawmaking chamber.

He was speaking on March 2, 2023 at a press conference organized by the Majority Caucus to address issues around a Constitutional Order (CI) the Electoral Commission (EC) is seeking to have passed in relation to continuous voter registration ahead of the 2024 elections.

“The Speaker has no business in what business is transacted in Parliament. I wouldn’t say that at all. Except to say that, no speaker has the right to also say that I will not allow government business to be transacted.

“No speaker has that authority. Period,” he emphasized.

On the continued opposition by the Minority to the CI citing disenfranchisement of a section of a section of the population, he said the Majority Caucus will continue engage “so that people can talk from informed perspectives and not resort to sheer shenanigans to confuse Ghanaians.”

He also pointed the Minority to Article 11 Clause 7 which he said is the constitutional provision and the path provided for MPs under the rule of law to oppose any process in the House, “it is not about physicalities,” he added.

EC chairperson Jean Mensa; along with the Chief Executive Officer of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Prof Ken Attafuah and the Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, appeared before House to defend the sole use of the Ghana Card as proof for registration of new voters.

The NIA, who are in charge of the issuance of the cards have raised logistical constraints which the Minister of Finance has assured is being addressed.

For the EC chair, her submissions were to explain how and why the particular card was chosen for new registrations as per the Constitutional Instruments (CI), the EC has laid before Parliament.

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