The Parliament of Ghana is the
legislative body
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government.
Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as p ...
of the
Government of Ghana
The Government of Ghana was created as a parliamentary democracy, followed by alternating military and civilian governments in Ghana. In January 1993, military government gave way to the Fourth Republic after presidential and parliamentary electi ...
.
History
Legislative representation in
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
dates back to 1850, when the country was a British
colony
In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the ''metropole, metropolit ...
known as
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
. The body, called the
Legislative Council, was purely advisory as the
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
exercised all legislative and executive powers. Reforms were introduced in 1916 and 1925, although the governor's power remained extensive. In 1946, a new
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When ...
was introduced that allowed for an
unofficial member of the Legislative Council to become its president while the governor ceased to be the ''
ex officio
An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...
'' president of the body. This system continued until 1951 when the Legislature elected its first
Speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** In ...
- Sir
Emmanuel Charles Quist
Sir Emmanuel Charles Quist, also known as Paa Quist (21 May 1880, in Christiansborg, Accra – 30 March 1959) was a barrister, educator and judge who served as the first Speaker of the Gold Coast Legislative Assembly and the first Speaker of th ...
.
1951 was also the first year that elections based on
universal suffrage
Universal suffrage (also called universal franchise, general suffrage, and common suffrage of the common man) gives the right to vote to all adult citizens, regardless of wealth, income, gender, social status, race, ethnicity, or political stanc ...
were held. The
Convention People's Party
The Convention People's Party (CPP) is a Socialism, socialist political party in Ghana based on the ideas of the first President of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah. The CPP was formed in June 1949 after Nkrumah broke away from the United Gold Coast Conven ...
(CPP), which was formed in 1949 and led by
Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah (born 21 September 190927 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He was the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, having led the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957. An in ...
, won
the election
''The Election'' () is a political drama series produced by Hong Kong Television Network (HKTV). With a budget of HK$15 million, filming started in July 2014 and wrapped up on 28 October 2014. Popularly voted to be the inaugural drama of ...
. Another party, the
United Gold Coast Convention
The United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) was a political party founded in 1947 whose aim was to bring about Ghanaian independence from their British colonial masters after the Second World War. The United Gold Coast Convention appointed its leade ...
(UGCC) led by
J.B. Danquah
Joseph Kwame Kyeretwie Boakye Danquah (18 December 1895 – 4 February 1965) was a Ghanaian politician, scholar, lawyer, and one of the founding fathers of Ghana. He played a significant role in pre- and post-colonial Ghana, which was formerl ...
, fared poorly, and was disbanded soon after. Nkrumah, who had been jailed in early 1950 for
subversion
Subversion () refers to a process by which the values and principles of a system in place are contradicted or reversed in an attempt to transform the established social order and its structures of power, authority, hierarchy, and social norms. Sub ...
, was released and appointed Leader of Government Business, becoming the country's first
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
the following year.
Legislative Assembly elections held in 1954 resulted in another CPP victory, with the party winning 71 out of a total of 104 seats. It also won 71 out of 104 seats in the
1956 Legislative Assembly election. The Gold Coast was renamed Ghana and granted independence on 6 March 1957, while retaining the British monarch as head of state. The Legislative Assembly was renamed National Assembly.
After the approval of a new Republican constitution, Ghana officially became a
republic
A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
on 1 July 1960 with
Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah (born 21 September 190927 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He was the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, having led the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957. An in ...
as its
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
.
The plebiscite was taken as a fresh mandate from the people and the terms of National Assembly members were extended for another five years. A
one-party state
A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system is a type of sovereign state in which only one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. All other parties ...
was introduced following
a referendum in 1964. As a result, only CPP candidates stood in the
National Assembly Election held in 1965.
Nkrumah was overthrown in 1966 by the military, which banned political parties and dissolved the National Assembly.
The country returned to civilian rule in 1969.
Elections
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...
held on 29 August resulted in victory for the
Progress Party (PP) of
Kofi Abrefa Busia
Kofi Abrefa Busia (born 11 July 1913 – 28 August 1978) was a Ghanaian political leader and academic who was Prime Minister of Ghana from 1969 to 1972. As a nationalist leader and prime minister, he helped to restore civilian government to the ...
, which won 105 of the National Assembly's 140 seats. He took office as
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
on 3 September 1969. His government was toppled in a 1972 military
coup.
During the Third Republic, which lasted from 1979 to 1981, the dominant party in the National Assembly was the
People's National Party
The People's National Party (PNP) is a Social democracy, social-democratic List of political parties in Jamaica, political party in Jamaica, founded in 1938 by independence campaigner Osmond Theodore Fairclough. It holds 14 of the 63 seats in ...
(PNP), led by Hilla Limann, which won 71 out of 104 seats in
elections
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...
held on 18 June 1979. After the military intervened in 1981, all elected institutions were dissolved and political party activity was prohibited.
Parliament of the Fourth Republic
After 11 years of military rule, a new constitution was approved in a
1992 referendum.
Presidential elections
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The pr ...
were held in November and were won by
Jerry Rawlings
Jerry John Rawlings (22 June 194712 November 2020) was a Ghanaian military officer and politician who led the country for a brief period in 1979, and then from 1981 to 2001. He led a military junta until 1992, and then served two terms as the de ...
, leader of the 1981 coup and subsequent military ruler. The opposition contested the results and
boycott
A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict som ...
ed the
December parliamentary elections. As a result, Rawlings'
National Democratic Congress (NDC) won 189 out of 200 seats in Parliament.
All parties participated in the
1996 parliamentary elections. The NDC won 133 out of a total of 200 seats, while the main opposition
New Patriotic Party
, logo =
, colorcode = #132f7a
, founder =
, founded = 28 July 1992
, dissolved =
, leader = Nana Akufo-Addo
, chairman = Stephen Ayensu Ntim
Stephen Ntim elected NPP National Chairman on fifth attempt http://www.gna.org.gh/1.2152672 ...
(NPP) won 60. Two small parties won the remaining seats.
The
2000 elections
The following elections occurred in the year 2000.
Africa
* 2000 Ethiopian general election
* 2000 Ghanaian presidential election
* 1999–2000 Guinea-Bissau general election
* 2000–01 Ivorian parliamentary election
* 2000 Ivorian presiden ...
were significant in that President Rawlings was constitutionally barred from seeking another term. In the
presidential poll,
John Kufuor
John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor (born 8 December 1938) is a Ghanaian politician who served as the President of Ghana from 7 January 2001 to 7 January 2009. He was also Chairperson of the African Union from 2007 to 2008.
Kufuor's career has been sp ...
of the NPP defeated the NDC candidate
John Atta Mills
John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills (21 July 1944 – 24 July 2012) was a Ghanaian politician and legal scholar who served as President of Ghana from 2009 until his death in 2012. He was inaugurated on 7 January 2009, having defeated the governing party ...
in a
run-off election. In the 200-seat Parliament, the NPP won 100, followed by the NDC's 92. Small political parties and independents won the remaining seats.
Kufuor was
re-elected in 2004 and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) won 128 out of 230 seats in the concurrent
parliamentary election
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
. The main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) won 94, while two other parties - The
People's National Convention (PNC) and
Convention People's Party
The Convention People's Party (CPP) is a Socialism, socialist political party in Ghana based on the ideas of the first President of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah. The CPP was formed in June 1949 after Nkrumah broke away from the United Gold Coast Conven ...
(CPP) - won 4 and 3 seats, respectively. An
Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
captured the remaining seat.
The simple majority (or
First Past the Post
In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...
)
voting system
An electoral system or voting system is a set of rules that determine how elections and referendums are conducted and how their results are determined. Electoral systems are used in politics to elect governments, while non-political elections ma ...
is used in Ghana's parliamentary elections. Since 2012, the country is divided into 275 single-member
constituencies
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...
. Members serve four-year terms.
Leadership structure
![Nancy_Pelosi_in_Ghana](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Nancy_Pelosi_in_Ghana.jpg)
*Speaker - The Speaker presides over the Parliament and enforces observance of all rules that govern its conduct. After a general election the majority party in Parliament, in consultation with other parties, nominates a Speaker.
The Speaker cannot be a Member of Parliament though they must possess the qualifications to stand for elections as a Member of Parliament, such person on appointment as Speaker must resign and declare the seat occupied in Parliament as vacant. The Speaker is assisted by two Deputy Speakers (First and Second Deputy Speakers), who are elected at the commencement of every Parliament. They must come from different political parties. The current Speaker is
Alban Kingsford Sumani Bagbin.
*First Deputy Speaker - The First Deputy Speaker presides over the sittings of Parliament whenever the Speaker is absent. The current First Deputy Speaker is
Joseph Osei Owusu
Joseph Osei-Owusu (born 22 January 1962, in Bekwai) is a Ghanaian lawyer, and politician. He is the first deputy speaker of the 8th Parliament of the 4th Republic and also the Member of Parliament for the Bekwai (Ghana parliament constituency), ...
of the
New Patriotic Party
, logo =
, colorcode = #132f7a
, founder =
, founded = 28 July 1992
, dissolved =
, leader = Nana Akufo-Addo
, chairman = Stephen Ayensu Ntim
Stephen Ntim elected NPP National Chairman on fifth attempt http://www.gna.org.gh/1.2152672 ...
(NPP).
*Second Deputy Speaker - The Second Deputy Speaker presides over the sittings of Parliament in the absence of the Speaker and the First Deputy Speaker. The current Second Deputy Speaker is
Andrew Amoako Asiamah an independent candidate.
*Majority Leader - The Majority Leader is elected from the party with a majority of parliamentary seats. A deputy majority leader and a majority chief whip assist him, constituting the majority leadership of Parliament. The current Majority Leader is
Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu of the NPP.
*Deputy Majority Leader- A deputy majority leader and a chief whip assist him, constituting the Majority leadership of Parliament. The current Deputy Majority Leader is
Alexander Afenyo-Markin
Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin (born 27 May 1978) is the Member of the Parliament of Ghana for the Effutu constituency, Central Region. He also serves as a member of the committee on Defense and Interior Committee in Ghana Parliament. He is cur ...
of the NPP.
*Minority Leader - The Minority leader is elected from the second largest party in Parliament. A deputy minority leader and a chief whip assist him, constituting the minority leadership of Parliament. The current Minority Leader is
Haruna Iddrisu
Haruna Iddrisu (born 8 September 1970) is a Ghanaian lawyer and politician who is a member of the Seventh Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana representing Tamale South. He served as the Minority Leader for NDC in Ghana's Parliament fro ...
of the NDC.
*Deputy Minority Leader - A deputy minority leader and a chief whip assist him, constituting the minority leadership of Parliament. The current Deputy Minority Leader is
James Klutse Avedzi
James Klutse Avedzi is a Ghanaian politician and member of the Seventh Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana representing the Ketu North Constituency in the Volta Region on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress.
Early life and ...
of the NDC.
2008 elections
Composition of Parliament after the
2018 Ghanaian new regions referendum
A referendum on creating new regions was held in Ghana on 27 December 2018. Voting took place in the 47 districts that would potentially become part of new regions which would be created by splitting four of the existing regions. The proposed spli ...
Committees of Parliament
As at November 2020, the Parliament had fourteen Standing Committees and sixteen Select Committees. There was also one ad hoc committee.
Ad-hoc Committee:
Poverty Reduction Strategy committee
Past Speakers of the National Assembly/Parliament
Gold Coast (1951 – 1957)
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, and National Assembly in 1957
Independent State within the Commonwealth (1957 – 1960) / First Republic (1960 – 1966)
Speakers of the National Assembly
Second Republic (1969 – 1972)
Speaker of the National Assembly
Third Republic (1979 – 1981)
Speaker of the National Assembly
Fourth Republic (1992 – present)
Speakers of Parliament
Members of parliament
*''For a list of current members, see
List of MPs elected in the 2020 Ghanaian general election
The 2020 Ghanaian general election was held on 7 December 2020 to elect Members of Parliament (MPs) to the 8th Parliament of the Fourth Republic. The Speaker is not an elected member of parliament though he/she is qualified to stand for election ...
''.
The composition of the Parliament has changed over the years. There were 140 members in both the Second and the Third Republic parliaments.
*
2nd Republic parliament: 1969 — 1972
*
3rd Republic parliament: 1979 — 1981
In the current Fourth Republic, the number of MPs first increased to 200 and subsequently to 275. There have been 8 parliaments so far in the Fourth Republic.
The list of its members are below.
*
1st parliament: 1993 — 1997
*
2nd parliament: 1997 — 2001
*
3rd parliament: 2001 — 2005
*
4th parliament: 2005 — 2009
*
5th parliament: 2009 — 2013
*
6th parliament: 2013 — 2017
*
7th parliament: 2017 — 2021
*
8th parliament: 2021 — present
Parliamentary constituencies
See also
*
Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana
The Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana is the presiding officer of the Parliament of Ghana. The current speaker is Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin. He was elected on 7 January 2021.
History
The first speaker of the Parliament of Ghana was Sir E ...
*
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
*
History of Ghana
The Republic of Ghana is named after the medieval West African Ghana Empire. The empire became known in Europe and Arabia as the Ghana Empire after the title of its Emperor, the Ghana. The Empire appears to have broken up following the 1076 ...
*
Legislative Branch
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government.
Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as ...
*
List of national legislatures
This is a list of legislatures by country. A "legislature" is the generic name for the national parliaments and congresses that act as a plenary general assembly of representatives and that have the power to legislate. All entities included in ...
*
List of Ghana Parliament constituencies
This is a list of the 275 constituencies represented in the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana, as at the December 2016 general election. It had been increased from 260 at the previous election in December 2012 parliamentary election. Each cons ...
References
External links
*
{{coord, 05 , 33, 24, N, 00, 11, 24, W, type:landmark, display=title
Politics of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...