Ghana’s 8th Parliament has been dissolved bringing to an end the legislative term that began on January 7, 2021.
The dissolution process took place during the final sitting presided over by the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon.S. K Alban Bagbin on Monday, January 6, 2025, to pave the way for the inauguration, election of a new speaker, and swearing in of new and continuing honorable members of parliament.
At the dissolution meeting, the leadership of each side took turns to reflect on the past years and appreciate their enormous contributions in diverse ways to the success of the 8th Parliament.
Rt. Hon. S. K. Alban giving his final remarks, recollected some initiatives that were undertaken during the period and reiterated his commitment to achieving more going forward.
Following the dissolution, newly elected Members of Parliament will be sworn in at midnight; on January 7, 2025, marking the commencement of the 9th Parliament.
Meanwhile, let’s take a walk down memory lane and revisit some of the notable incidents and memories witnessed during the period.
1. The inauguration of the 8th Parliament started on a chaotic note, with MPs caught live on camera clashing, ballot box snatching, and the invasion of Armed Military and Police personnel storming the chambers of the August House during the election of the Speaker.
2. Another contentious moment witnessed in the 8th Parliament was the debate and passage of the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) in 2022. The levy, which imposed a 1.5% tax on electronic financial transactions, sparked widespread public discontent. The NDC Minority fiercely opposed the bill, staging a walkout of Parliament in protest during its approval.
3. The Approval of Ministerial Nominees such as Bryan Acheampong (Minister of Food and Agriculture), Kobina Tahir Hammond (Minister of Trade and Industry), and Stephen Asamoah Boateng (Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs) raising questions on party loyalty from the side of the NDC minority who voted in favor of these Ministers despite their disagreement over their appointment.
4. The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill generated one of the most heated debates both in parliament and the Ghanaian populace as well as drawing wide international interest. Yet parliament later passed the anti-LGBTQ bill. However, it still drew some controversies between the Executive, legislature, and the Judiciary, to date, the bill is yet to be scented to.
5. The Rt. Hon. Speaker was equally petitioned to refer Madam Sarah Adwoa Safo, MP for Dome-Kwabenya; Mr Henry Quartey, MP for Ayawaso Central; Mr Ebenezer Kojo Kum, MP for Ahanta West and Mr Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, MP for Assin Central, as MPs who had absented themselves from Parliament for more than fifteen sittings without the Speaker’s permission.
6. The Speaker again declared four parliamentary seats vacant with barely two months to the election in December. The ruling meant that Ghana’s hung parliament which gave the governing New Patriotic Party a slight upper hand as the Majority side with the support of an Independent Member of Parliament, Andrew Amoako Asiamah, now tilted towards the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC). This matter was also taken to the court for the judiciary interpretation of the law on the matter, even though the MPs involved were said to have decided to stand as independent candidates.
7. The 8th Parliament celebrated the 30th Anniversary of Parliamentary Democracy in Ghana. The anniversary celebration was themed, “Thirty Years of parliamentary democracy under the Fourth Republic: The Journey thus far”. The year-long activity brought together various stakeholders to discuss the practice of parliamentary democracy in the country.
8. another notable achievement of the 8th Parliament is the adoption and implementation of the new Standing Orders of the House. The revised Standing Orders introduced a novel development that was applauded by all. Committees are no longer chaired by only Members from the Majority Side. Some Committees are reserved to be chaired by Members from the Minority Side as well.
By: Mary Quartey
