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.
Last week, 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.
In a finely balanced parliament, that decision – which is being challenged in court – means that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has become the majority party.
Last Friday, President Nana Akufo-Addo’s New Patriotic Party (NPP) went to the Supreme Court to ask if the speaker had correctly interpreted the constitution.
The judges asked the Speaker to suspend his declaration until they made a decision. It is not clear when their judgement will come.
Tuesday was the first parliamentary sitting since the Supreme Court’s directive to the Speaker – and MPs from both the NPP and NDC tried to occupy the seats reserved for the majority party.
Eventually, the NPP leader in parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, instructed his MPs to walk out in order to avoid any conflict.
The NDC lawmakers then started singing party songs and marching around the chamber.
The Speaker said that without the NPP legislators present there were not enough MPs to make decisions, which is when he suspended proceedings indefinitely.
The suspension has significant implications as it means the government cannot get approval for important funding and laws, which could affect how the country is run over the coming year.
Ghana has a reputation for being one of the most stable democracies in Africa – but the outcomes of its parliamentary and presidential votes tend to be very close.
After general elections in 2020, both the NPP and the NDC each had 137 MPs – with the NPP becoming the majority party after gaining the support of a legislator who had stood as an independent candidate.
It was discovered that four MPs had switched allegiances only when the roll of candidates running for parliament was issued ahead of December’s vote.
Many Ghanaians are worried about the impact of this political turmoil, especially on the economy.
The high cost of living is a key campaign issue for both parties and their presidential candidates, who are current Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia for the NPP and the NDC’s John Mahama.
Akufo-Addo will be standing down as president having served two terms in office.