Massive loss in Parliament was unexpected – Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu confesses

Majority Leader in the 7th Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has confessed that his party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), did not expect a massive reduction of seats in the Legislature in the just-ended polls.

According to a Citi News report, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said his party was expecting to reduce its seats to up to 150 from 169 and not the current 137 seats as the parliamentary results of the December 7 elections show.

The Commission said the NPP had so far won parliamentary 137 seats, with the NDC having 136 seats.

The Fomena seat has been won by an independent candidate, while the winner of the Sene West contest was yet to be declared.

“By and large, it [reduced NPP seats] may have a negative impact on the conducting of business in Parliament,” the Citi News report quoted the MP for Suame in the Ashanti Region.

Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu is, however, confident that current numbers for the NPP and NDC in Parliament will ensure cooperation between the two main parties.

“It also would mean that government would have to be much more consultative and reach out to the opposition much better we are used to and that could deepen democracy if we allow that to happen.

“We may have a Speaker come from the opposition party who really is for the good of democratic governance, and we could live with that. But if we have a Speaker who is entrenched on his own party line, it becomes difficult to run a government,” Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said.

Meanwhile, the NDC is contesting both the presidential and parliamentary results as flawed and stolen for the incumbent NPP.