There's no Parliamentary sovereignty - Afenyo-Markin

Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has stated that Parliament which is one of the three arms of government, has no sovereignty under the laws of Ghana.

His comment comes amid the ongoing controversy in Parliament over which side of the House holds the majority status, following the declaration of four seats as vacant.

The Speaker, Alban Bagbin, on Thursday, declared some four seats vacant. The affected MPs are:

Cynthia Morrison, the current NPP MP for Agona West constituency in the Central Region, who has filed to run as an independent candidate.

Kwadwo Asante, the current NPP MP for Suhum constituency in the Eastern Region, who has also filed to run as an independent candidate.

Andrew Asiamah Amoako, currently an independent MP for Fomena constituency in the Ashanti Region, who has filed to run in the upcoming election as a candidate for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Peter Kwakye Ackah (Amenfi Central), NDC MP who has filed to contest as an independent candidate.

The Speaker's contentious decision, which granted the NDC 136 seats in Parliament - the majority -and left the NPP with 135, has sparked intense public interest in the upcoming session.

However, on Friday, October 18, the Supreme Court directed the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to suspend the implementation of his ruling declaring the four seats vacant.

This has triggered a constitutional discussion on the appropriate role of the judiciary in legislative proceedings and the balance of power within Parliament.

Speaking on Peace FM, as monitored by GhanaWeb, Alexander Afenyo-Markin emphasized that the laws of the country do not grant Parliament sovereignty, adding that only the Constitution reigns supreme.

"This is not the first time, so nobody should say that the Supreme Court is interfering in parliamentary sovereignty. Parliament has no sovereignty under our constitution. There is no parliamentary sovereignty. Parliament is not sovereign - what is sovereign is our Constitution.

"In Ghana, we have the supremacy of the Constitution, not the supremacy of Parliament. We invoked the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court in good faith because Parliament failed us. We saw mischief in Parliament, which is why we felt that the law should be interpreted by those who have the power to interpret the law. I didn't do anything wrong," the Majority Leader said.

KA



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