In a recent ruling, Ghana’s Supreme Court has reinstated the ruling party’s majority in parliament, overturning the Speaker's declaration of four seats as vacant. This decision comes just weeks before the upcoming Dec. 7 election in the country.
The controversy arose when two members of parliament from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and one from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) announced their intentions to run as independent candidates. Additionally, an independent candidate aligned with the NPP, further complicating the parliamentary landscape.
Speaker Alban Bagbin had declared the seats of the defected MPs vacant, citing constitutional restrictions on MPs switching parties. This move had temporarily shifted the parliamentary majority to the NDC, causing a one-seat advantage over the NPP.
However, the Supreme Court's ruling has now restored the NPP's slim majority of 138 seats, including one independent leaning towards the party, against the NDC's 137 seats.
The upcoming elections in Ghana, scheduled for Dec. 7, will mark the ninth consecutive general election since the country's return to multi-party democracy in 1992. While Ghana has a history of peaceful and fair elections, concerns have been raised this year regarding alleged irregularities in the voter roll.
The NDC recently held nationwide protests calling for an audit of the voter roll, claiming to have identified unauthorized transfers and erasures of voter names. These allegations have raised fears of a potential democratic setback in the country.
President Nana Akufo-Addo is set to step down after completing his second and final four-year term. The upcoming election will see former President John Dramani Mahama of the NDC facing off against Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia of the NPP.
Amidst escalating tensions surrounding the elections, the U.S. State Department issued a warning threatening to restrict U.S. visas for individuals found to be undermining Ghana’s democracy in the lead-up to the vote.
