Parliament suspended over majority dispute

The Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament has suspended proceedings indefinitely following chaotic scenes in the chamber over a row about which party holds the parliamentary majority. This after it was discovered that four MPs had switched allegiance and would run for different parties in the 7 December general election. Speaker Alban Bagbin then declared that their seats were vacant, arguing that the Constitution does not allow MPs to defect. The Ghanaian Times reports that the adjournment puts on ice some major government businesses scheduled for consideration during the meeting including the approval of two nominees to the Supreme Court, a $250m loan facility for the Ghana Financial Stability Project, and tax waivers to the tune of $350. The abrupt and indefinite adjournment of the House comes in the wake of the Supreme Court's suspension of the Speaker's ruling which declared four seats vacant on 17 October. By that ruling of the Speaker, the National Democratic Congress caucus now has 136 seats to the New Patriotic Party's 135. The decision of the Speaker and the subsequent suspension of same by the apex court had raised questions of a constitutional crisis as both the NDC and NPP caucuses claim majority. ‘In view of the current circumstances, the fact that there is question on the composition and Constitution of Parliament and having regard to the public interest, and the exigencies of the state of affairs in Parliament, I'll proceed to...adjourn the House indefinitely,’ Bagbin said.