8th Parliament is a very difficult one to manage – Speaker

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has admitted that this 8th Parliament is a very difficult one to manage.

The 8th Parliament has experienced some chaotic scenes, largely due to its hung nature, as both sides of the House have the same number of members, 137 each, with an independent candidate who associates with the governing New Patriotic Party.

Parliament also for the first time has a Speaker of Parliament who’s aligned with the opposition party. This novelty has created a number of problems for consensus building.

In recent times, it has also posed a huge problem for parliamentary rules and standing orders, forcing some persons to seek interpretation at the Supreme Court.

A recent Supreme Court ruling which declared that deputy speakers sitting as Speakers do not lose their votes, created a huge debate with the Speaker of Parliament himself criticizing the Supreme Court over the ruling.

Speaking at the inauguration of members of the Parliamentary Press Corps on Monday, April 4, 2022, the Speaker said; “Managing this parliament has been a difficult one since the old rules are the same being used to manage this new kind of Parliament (hung parliament) where all sides have an equal number of honorable ladies and gents.”

“Some people do not understand why the behavior of the current Parliament is way different from the old one, but it is actually to be expected, though we didn’t anticipate it. Making decisions on some very important issues becomes very tough because the numbers come to play.”

Electronic Transfer Levy took about 5 months to be passed on March 29, 2022, due to several disagreements between the two sides.

Although the bill was passed after the minority staged a walkout, some members have filed a suit at the Supreme Court challenging the legality or otherwise of the passage, insisting that the Majority did not have the required numbers for the passage of the bill.

Alban Bagbin in his quest to leave a legacy after his tenure has said a review needs to be carried out on the standing orders of the House to prevent such chaotic scenes and smooth decision-making.

“Because of the new creature we have today, which you refer to as the hung Parliament, the rules we have now, are structured for a majoritarian Parliament, which we don’t have now. We are trying to tweak the rules a bit to incorporate some rules that can help us manage a situation like this. It has been very difficult to manage this Parliament.”