Parliamentary sessions have been suspended indefinitely by Speaker of the House Alban Bagbin, who has cited the absence of a quorum as the reason.
Following a tense day in the Chamber during which the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs argued about the makeup of the Majority, this decision was made on Tuesday, October 22.
Speaker Bagbin said in passing, that he had received a communication from the Supreme Court, but he did not elaborate on what it contained, even though the meeting was adjourned.
The correspondence most likely relates to the recent legal battle over the Supreme Court’s decision to delay the declaration of four parliamentary seats as empty, as reported by Amanie’s Parliamentary correspondent, Brhyte – Owoo Nii Kwartei.
The NDC now occupies both sides of the House after the NPP MPs left the Chamber earlier in the day. Although the day’s political tension played a part in the interruption, the stated reason for the adjournment was the absence of a quorum, which is a necessary number of MPs needed to conduct parliamentary work.
The ambiguity surrounding legislative proceedings is increased by Bagbin’s decision to partially ignore the Supreme Court’s letter, which leaves the question of the vacant seats unresolved for the time being. The future course of action is still uncertain as both parties await additional guidance after Parliament was adjourned indefinitely.
