Ghana's parliamentary democracy, a showpiece

Page 24, March 5, 2009
Article: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
GHANA’S parliamentary democracy became the showpiece in Africa and beyond with the inauguration of the Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic.
Ghana’s independence Parliament of 1957 supervised the country’s growth to become a Republic, a status that was achieved on July 1, 1960.
Despite the many periods of military rule, there have been up to 10 parliaments, namely, the Independence Parliament (Nkrumah), the two Parliaments of the First Republic (Nkrumah), the Parliament of the Second Republic (Busia), the Parliament of the Third Republic (Limann) and the four Parliaments of the Fourth Republic (Rawlings and Kufuor and the current Parliament (J.E.A. Mills).
The 1969 and 1979 constitutions of the Second and Third republics, respectively, provided for 140 elected members, while the 1992 Constitution of the Fourth Republic provided for 200 elected members. However, the Constitution has since been amended to increase the number to 230, whose term of office is four years, just as the President’s.
The Fourth Republican Parliament has proved to be the most successful of all the parliaments. So far, five elections have been successfully held, while Parliament has operated successfully.
The 1992 Constitution is a hybrid of the American and British constitutions. Although it provides for an Executive President, some of the Cabinet members have to be chosen from Parliament.
In the First Parliament of the Fourth Republic, three parties were represented, namely, the National Democratic Congress (189 seats), the National Convention Party (eight) and the EGLE (one). It had 16 women, one of whom was an independent member.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP), the People’s National Convention (PNC), the People’s Heritage Party (PHP) and the National Independence Party (NIP) boycotted the parliamentary elections because they accused the NDC of rigging the presidential election which had been conducted earlier.
During the 1996 general election, the minority parties participated in the parliamentary election but the NDC still maintained its dominance in Parliament with 133 seats; NPP — 61, the People’s Convention Party (PCP) — five, PNC — one, with the number of women increasing from 16 in 1992 to 18.
In 2000, the NPP won both the presidential and parliamentary elections with 100 seats, while the other parties had the following number of seats: NDC — 92, PNC — three, CPP — one, and independent candidates — four. There were 19 women, including one seat won in a by-election. In six by-elections held after the general election, the NPP won all, including three that were occupied by the NDC.
In the 2004 elections, the NPP maintained its majority in Parliament and increased its number to 128, NDC — 94, PNC — four, CPP — three, and independent — one. It must be noted that the seats in Parliament were increased from 200 to 230. The number of women in the House also increased to 25.
The NDC made a dramatic turn by winning both the presidential and parliamentary elections during the 2008 elections with 114 seats, leaving the NPP with 107, CPP, one, and PNC, two. Results from two constituencies — Akwatia and Asutifi South — are yet to be declared.
There are four independent MPs in the current Parliament.
Out of the total of 228 MPs currently in the House, only 20 are women. Five of the 228 MPs have been MPs since 1993. They are Mr Alban Bagbin, the Majority Leader and MP for Nadowli West; Mr Edward Doe Adjaho (Avenor-Ave), Alhaji Seidu Amadu (Yapei-Kusawgu), Kwadjo Tawiah Likpalimor (Kpandai) and John Akologu Tia (Talensi).
Again, five of the MPs can be described as returnees. They are Mr Cletus Avoka (Zebilla), Dr Alfred Tia (Nalerigu-Gambaga), Mr Dominic B.A. Nitiwul (Bimbila), Mr Mike Hammah (Effutu) and Mr Ernest Attuquaye Armah (Trobu-Amasaman), while as many as 85 MPs are first timers.
One of the independent MPs and the two PNC MPs have aligned themselves with the NDC to give it majority seats of 117, while three independent MPs and the one CPP MP have aligned themselves with the NPP to form the Minority group in the House.
The stage is thus set for a Parliament which will survive mainly with a lot of consensus building, instead of entrenched positions that had been the order of the day in the previous parliaments because of the clear majority the Majority sides had had.
Whichever way one looks at it, it is clear that Ghana’s democracy has come of age and it is serving as a leader on the continent, much in the same way that the country set the pace for the total political liberation of the African continent from colonial rule.