Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin clarified that he has no authority to decide the seating arrangement for Members of Parliament (MPs).
Addressing the ongoing debate over which party holds the majority, Bagbin explained that parliamentary traditions and the balance of power, rather than the Speaker’s intervention, typically guide seating arrangements.
“Although Ghana’s Parliament is determine by the Westminster system, where the majority party often occupies specific seats, this seating arrangement is not a binding rule.
The numbers determine who is the majority and who is the minority. In our Parliament, those who form the majority traditionally sit to the Speaker’s right, while the minority sits to the left.It is not the Speaker’s role to decide where MPs sit in Parliament. The Ghanaian constitution does not assign this duty to the Speaker.”Bagbin stated.
Moreover, Bagbin urged MPs to focus on maintaining order and functionality in Parliament, advising that leadership discussions, not seating disputes, should address the key issues.
This issue arose after Bagbin recently declared four parliamentary seats vacant, prompting the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Caucus to claim they now hold the majority position.
