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The Ghanaian Supreme Court has made public its thorough justification for ruling that Speaker Alban Bagbin’s designation of four parliamentary seats as vacant was unconstitutional.
The Court sided with Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, who had contested the Speaker’s conduct, in a 5-2 majority decision on Tuesday, November 12.
The decision also clarified the constitutional circumstances under which MPs may lose their seats as a result of switching parties.
According to the Court, an MP can only be deemed to have resigned from office if they switch parties and continue to serve in Parliament with the new affiliation.
In particular, if an MP changes parties while in office, their seat becomes vacant.
Similarly, as their original mandate was predicated on their independence, independent Members of Parliament who choose to join a political party must forfeit their seats.
READ FULL JUDGMENT BELOW:
Source: newsthemegh.com