Legislative representation in Ghana dates back to 1850, when the country was a British colony known as Gold Coast. The body, called the Legislative Council, was purely advisory as the Governor exercised all legislative and executive powers. Reforms were introduced in 1916 and 1925, although the governor's power remained extensive. In 1946, a new constitution was introduced that allowed for an unofficial member of the Legislative Council to become its president while the governor ceased to be the ex officio president of the body. This system continued until 1951 when the Legislature elected its first Speaker - Sir Emmanuel Charles Quist.
Legislative Assembly elections held in 1954 resulted in another CPP victory, with the party winning 71 out of a total of 104 seats. It also won 71 out of 104 seats in the 1956 Legislative Assembly election. The Gold Coast was renamed Ghana and granted independence on 6 March 1957, while retaining the British monarch as head of state. The Legislative Assembly was renamed National Assembly.
After the approval of a new Republican constitution, Ghana officially became a republic on 1 July 1960 with Kwame Nkrumah as its President. The plebiscite was taken as a fresh mandate from the people and the terms of National Assembly members were extended for another five years. A one-party state was introduced following a referendum in 1964. As a result, only CPP candidates stood in the National Assembly Election held in 1965. Nkrumah was overthrown in 1966 by the military, which banned political parties and dissolved the National Assembly.
The country returned to civilian rule in 1969. Elections held on 29 August resulted in victory for the Progress Party (PP) of Kofi Abrefa Busia, which won 105 of the National Assembly's 140 seats. He took office as Prime Minister on 3 September 1969. His government was toppled in a 1972 military coup.
During the Third Republic, which lasted from 1979 to 1981, the dominant party in the National Assembly was the People's National Party (PNP), led by Hilla Limann, which won 71 out of 104 seats in elections held on 18 June 1979. After the military intervened in 1981, all elected institutions were dissolved and political party activity was prohibited.
All parties participated in the 1996 parliamentary elections. The NDC won 133 out of a total of 200 seats, while the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) won 60. Two small parties won the remaining seats.
The 2000 elections were significant in that President Rawlings was constitutionally barred from seeking another term. In the presidential poll, John Kufuor of the NPP defeated the NDC candidate John Atta Mills in a run-off election. In the 200-seat Parliament, the NPP won 100, followed by the NDC's 92. Small political parties and independents won the remaining seats.
The simple majority (or First Past the Post) voting system is used in Ghana's parliamentary elections. Since 2012, the country is divided into 275 single-member constituencies. Members serve four-year terms.
Leadership structure
U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands after delivering a speech to the Ghanaian Parliament at the Parliament House in July 2009
Speaker - The Speaker presides over the Parliament and enforces observance of all rules that govern its conduct. After a general election the majority party in Parliament, in consultation with other parties, nominates a Speaker.
The Speaker cannot be a Member of Parliament though they must possess the qualifications to stand for elections as a Member of Parliament, such person on appointment as Speaker must resign and declare the seat occupied in Parliament as vacant. The Speaker is assisted by two Deputy Speakers (First and Second Deputy Speakers), who are elected at the commencement of every Parliament. They must come from different political parties. The current Speaker is Alban Kingsford Sumani Bagbin.[3]
First Deputy Speaker - The First Deputy Speaker presides over the sittings of Parliament whenever the Speaker is absent. The current First Deputy Speaker is Joseph Osei Owusu of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Second Deputy Speaker - The Second Deputy Speaker presides over the sittings of Parliament in the absence of the Speaker and the First Deputy Speaker. The current Second Deputy Speaker is Andrew Amoako Asiamah an independent candidate.
Majority Leader - The Majority Leader is elected from the party with a majority of parliamentary seats. A deputy majority leader and a majority chief whip assist him, constituting the majority leadership of Parliament. The current Majority Leader is Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu of the NPP.
Deputy Majority Leader- A deputy majority leader and a chief whip assist him, constituting the Majority leadership of Parliament. The current Deputy Majority Leader is Alexander Afenyo-Markin of the NPP.
Minority Leader - The Minority leader is elected from the second largest party in Parliament. A deputy minority leader and a chief whip assist him, constituting the minority leadership of Parliament. The current Minority Leader is Haruna Iddrisu of the NDC.
Deputy Minority Leader - A deputy minority leader and a chief whip assist him, constituting the minority leadership of Parliament. The current Deputy Minority Leader is James Klutse Avedzi of the NDC.
As at November 2020, the Parliament had fourteen Standing Committees and sixteen Select Committees. There was also one ad hoc committee.[4]
Standing Committees:
Appointments • Business • Committee of Selection • Finance • Gender and Children Government Assurance • House • Judiciary • Members Holding Offices of Profit • Privileges Public Accounts • Special Budget • Standing Orders • Subsidiary Legislation
Select Committees:
Communications • Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs • Defence and Interior • Education • Employment, Social Welfare and State Enterprises Environment, Science and Technology • Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs • Foreign Affairs • Health • Lands and Forestry • Local Government and Rural Development Mines and Energy • Roads and Transport • Standing Orders • Trade, Industry and Tourism • Works and Housing • Youth, Sports and Culture
Independent State within the Commonwealth (1957 – 1960) / First Republic (1960 – 1966)
Ghanaian Parliamentary Election Map, 2008
Map of Ghana's parliamentary constituencies as per MP's party affiliation as at 2008. NB: Where constituencies are too small to be shown (i.e. Accra and Tamale Metropolitan Areas) the majority party elected in the district is shown.
In the current Fourth Republic, the number of MPs first increased to 200 and subsequently to 275. There have been 8 parliaments so far in the Fourth Republic.[6] The list of its members are below.
parliament, ghana, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, july, 20. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Parliament of Ghana news newspapers books scholar JSTOR July 2019 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Parliament of Ghana is the legislative body of the Government of Ghana Parliament of Ghana8th Parliament of the 4th RepublicTypeTypeUnicameralLeadershipSpeakerAlban Bagbin NDC since 7 January 2021Majority LeaderOsei Kyei Mensah Bonsu NPP since 7 January 2017StructureSeats275 2 Political groupsMajority 138 1 NPP 137 Independent 1 Minority 137 NDC 137 ElectionsVoting systemFirst past the postLast election7 December 2020Meeting placeParliament HouseAccra Greater AccraRepublic of GhanaWebsitewww wbr parliament wbr gh Contents 1 History 2 Parliament of the Fourth Republic 2 1 Leadership structure 2 2 2008 elections 2 3 Composition of Parliament after the 2018 Ghanaian new regions referendum 3 Committees of Parliament 4 Past Speakers of the National Assembly Parliament 4 1 Gold Coast 1951 1957 4 2 Independent State within the Commonwealth 1957 1960 First Republic 1960 1966 4 3 Second Republic 1969 1972 4 4 Third Republic 1979 1981 4 5 Fourth Republic 1992 present 5 Members of parliament 6 Parliamentary constituencies 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksHistory EditLegislative representation in Ghana dates back to 1850 when the country was a British colony known as Gold Coast The body called the Legislative Council was purely advisory as the Governor exercised all legislative and executive powers Reforms were introduced in 1916 and 1925 although the governor s power remained extensive In 1946 a new constitution was introduced that allowed for an unofficial member of the Legislative Council to become its president while the governor ceased to be the ex officio president of the body This system continued until 1951 when the Legislature elected its first Speaker Sir Emmanuel Charles Quist 1951 was also the first year that elections based on universal suffrage were held The Convention People s Party CPP which was formed in 1949 and led by Kwame Nkrumah won the election Another party the United Gold Coast Convention UGCC led by J B Danquah fared poorly and was disbanded soon after Nkrumah who had been jailed in early 1950 for subversion was released and appointed Leader of Government Business becoming the country s first Prime Minister the following year Legislative Assembly elections held in 1954 resulted in another CPP victory with the party winning 71 out of a total of 104 seats It also won 71 out of 104 seats in the 1956 Legislative Assembly election The Gold Coast was renamed Ghana and granted independence on 6 March 1957 while retaining the British monarch as head of state The Legislative Assembly was renamed National Assembly After the approval of a new Republican constitution Ghana officially became a republic on 1 July 1960 with Kwame Nkrumah as its President The plebiscite was taken as a fresh mandate from the people and the terms of National Assembly members were extended for another five years A one party state was introduced following a referendum in 1964 As a result only CPP candidates stood in the National Assembly Election held in 1965 Nkrumah was overthrown in 1966 by the military which banned political parties and dissolved the National Assembly The country returned to civilian rule in 1969 Elections held on 29 August resulted in victory for the Progress Party PP of Kofi Abrefa Busia which won 105 of the National Assembly s 140 seats He took office as Prime Minister on 3 September 1969 His government was toppled in a 1972 military coup During the Third Republic which lasted from 1979 to 1981 the dominant party in the National Assembly was the People s National Party PNP led by Hilla Limann which won 71 out of 104 seats in elections held on 18 June 1979 After the military intervened in 1981 all elected institutions were dissolved and political party activity was prohibited Parliament of the Fourth Republic EditAfter 11 years of military rule a new constitution was approved in a 1992 referendum Presidential elections were held in November and were won by Jerry Rawlings leader of the 1981 coup and subsequent military ruler The opposition contested the results and boycotted the December parliamentary elections As a result Rawlings National Democratic Congress NDC won 189 out of 200 seats in Parliament All parties participated in the 1996 parliamentary elections The NDC won 133 out of a total of 200 seats while the main opposition New Patriotic Party NPP won 60 Two small parties won the remaining seats The 2000 elections were significant in that President Rawlings was constitutionally barred from seeking another term In the presidential poll John Kufuor of the NPP defeated the NDC candidate John Atta Mills in a run off election In the 200 seat Parliament the NPP won 100 followed by the NDC s 92 Small political parties and independents won the remaining seats Kufuor was re elected in 2004 and the New Patriotic Party NPP won 128 out of 230 seats in the concurrent parliamentary election The main opposition National Democratic Congress NDC won 94 while two other parties The People s National Convention PNC and Convention People s Party CPP won 4 and 3 seats respectively An Independent captured the remaining seat The simple majority or First Past the Post voting system is used in Ghana s parliamentary elections Since 2012 the country is divided into 275 single member constituencies Members serve four year terms Leadership structure Edit U S President Barack Obama shakes hands after delivering a speech to the Ghanaian Parliament at the Parliament House in July 2009 US Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivering a speech to the Ghanaian Parliament at the Parliament House in July 2019 Speaker The Speaker presides over the Parliament and enforces observance of all rules that govern its conduct After a general election the majority party in Parliament in consultation with other parties nominates a Speaker The Speaker cannot be a Member of Parliament though they must possess the qualifications to stand for elections as a Member of Parliament such person on appointment as Speaker must resign and declare the seat occupied in Parliament as vacant The Speaker is assisted by two Deputy Speakers First and Second Deputy Speakers who are elected at the commencement of every Parliament They must come from different political parties The current Speaker is Alban Kingsford Sumani Bagbin 3 First Deputy Speaker The First Deputy Speaker presides over the sittings of Parliament whenever the Speaker is absent The current First Deputy Speaker is Joseph Osei Owusu of the New Patriotic Party NPP Second Deputy Speaker The Second Deputy Speaker presides over the sittings of Parliament in the absence of the Speaker and the First Deputy Speaker The current Second Deputy Speaker is Andrew Amoako Asiamah an independent candidate Majority Leader The Majority Leader is elected from the party with a majority of parliamentary seats A deputy majority leader and a majority chief whip assist him constituting the majority leadership of Parliament The current Majority Leader is Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu of the NPP Deputy Majority Leader A deputy majority leader and a chief whip assist him constituting the Majority leadership of Parliament The current Deputy Majority Leader is Alexander Afenyo Markin of the NPP Minority Leader The Minority leader is elected from the second largest party in Parliament A deputy minority leader and a chief whip assist him constituting the minority leadership of Parliament The current Minority Leader is Haruna Iddrisu of the NDC Deputy Minority Leader A deputy minority leader and a chief whip assist him constituting the minority leadership of Parliament The current Deputy Minority Leader is James Klutse Avedzi of the NDC 2008 elections Edit Main article Ghanaian parliamentary election 2008 Composition of Parliament after the 2018 Ghanaian new regions referendum Edit Region NPP NDC PNC CPP Ind TotalAhafo 4 2 6Ashanti 44 3 47Bono 11 1 12Bono East 5 6 11Central 19 4 23Eastern 28 5 33Greater Accra 21 13 34Northern 9 9 18North East 3 3 6Oti 1 7 8Savannah 1 6 7Upper East 3 12 15Upper West 5 6 11Volta 18 18Western 13 4 17Total 169 106 0 0 0 275Committees of Parliament EditAs at November 2020 the Parliament had fourteen Standing Committees and sixteen Select Committees There was also one ad hoc committee 4 Standing Committees Appointments Business Committee of Selection Finance Gender and ChildrenGovernment Assurance House Judiciary Members Holding Offices of Profit PrivilegesPublic Accounts Special Budget Standing Orders Subsidiary LegislationSelect Committees Communications Constitutional Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Defence and Interior Education Employment Social Welfare and State EnterprisesEnvironment Science and Technology Food Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Foreign Affairs Health Lands and Forestry Local Government and Rural DevelopmentMines and Energy Roads and Transport Standing Orders Trade Industry and Tourism Works and Housing Youth Sports and Culture Ad hoc Committee Poverty Reduction Strategy committeePast Speakers of the National Assembly Parliament EditMain article Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana Gold Coast 1951 1957 Edit Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and National Assembly in 1957 Name Took office Left office NotesEmmanuel Charles Quist March 1951 December 1957 5 Independent State within the Commonwealth 1957 1960 First Republic 1960 1966 Edit Ghanaian Parliamentary Election Map 2008 Map of Ghana s parliamentary constituencies as per MP s party affiliation as at 2008 NB Where constituencies are too small to be shown i e Accra and Tamale Metropolitan Areas the majority party elected in the district is shown Green National Democratic Congress NDC Blue New Patriotic Party NPP Yellow People s National Convention PNC Red Convention People s Party CPP Grey Independent Speakers of the National Assembly Name Took office Left office NotesAugustus Molade Akiwumi February 1958 June 1960 5 Joseph Richard Asiedu July 1960 June 1965 5 Kofi Asante Ofori Atta 10 June 1965 24 February 1966 5 Second Republic 1969 1972 Edit Speaker of the National Assembly Name Took office Left office NotesNii Amaa Ollennu October 1969 13 January 1972 5 Third Republic 1979 1981 Edit Speaker of the National Assembly Name Took office Left office NotesJacob Hackenbug Griffiths Randolph 24 September 1979 31 December 1981 5 Fourth Republic 1992 present Edit Speakers of Parliament Name Took office Left office NotesDaniel Francis Annan 7 January 1993 6 January 2001 5 Peter Ala Adjetey 7 January 2001 6 January 2005 5 Ebenezer Sekyi Hughes 7 January 2005 6 January 2009 5 Joyce Adeline Bamford Addo 7 January 2009 6 January 2013 5 Edward Adjaho 7 January 2013 6 January 2017 5 Aaron Mike Oquaye 7 January 2017 6 January 2021 5 Alban Sumani Bagbin 7 January 2021 Incumbent 3 Members of parliament EditFor a list of current members see List of MPs elected in the 2020 Ghanaian general election The composition of the Parliament has changed over the years There were 140 members in both the Second and the Third Republic parliaments 2nd Republic parliament 1969 1972 3rd Republic parliament 1979 1981In the current Fourth Republic the number of MPs first increased to 200 and subsequently to 275 There have been 8 parliaments so far in the Fourth Republic 6 The list of its members are below 1st parliament 1993 1997 2nd parliament 1997 2001 3rd parliament 2001 2005 4th parliament 2005 2009 5th parliament 2009 2013 6th parliament 2013 2017 7th parliament 2017 2021 8th parliament 2021 presentParliamentary constituencies EditMain article Ghana Parliament constituenciesSee also EditSpeaker of the Parliament of Ghana Ghana History of Ghana Legislative Branch List of national legislatures List of Ghana Parliament constituenciesReferences Edit NPP asks Speaker Bagbin to remain impartial as it maintains majority myjoyonline com 21 January 2021 Retrieved 21 January 2021 Statistics ghanaelections peacefmonline com Retrieved 2019 07 17 a b Bagbin elected Speaker of Parliament MyJoyOnline com Retrieved 2021 01 08 Committees of Parliament Official website Parliament of Ghana Retrieved 16 November 2020 a b c d e f g h i j k l Parliament of Ghana Who is Alban Bagbin All You Need to Know About Ghana s 7th Speaker of Parliament The Accra Times 2021 01 07 Retrieved 2021 03 06 External links EditOfficial website Coordinates 05 33 24 N 00 11 24 W 5 55667 N 0 19000 W 5 55667 0 19000 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Parliament of Ghana amp oldid 1111169282, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
