The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has labeled the ongoing situation in Ghana’s Parliament as a political crisis, calling for immediate reconciliation among lawmakers.
His remarks come in the wake of a decision by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Kingsford Bagbin, who rejected a request from the Majority Leader to reconvene the House after its indefinite adjournment. Bagbin emphasized that Parliament would only reconvene after the December 7, 2024, general elections. This decision follows a previous attempt to recall the House on November 7, 2024, when members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) caucus failed to attend.
Speaking at the 58th congregation of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Otumfuo Osei Tutu II expressed deep concern over the political impasse, stressing that such divisions in Parliament risk undermining the nation’s democracy. He noted that while the public expects rigorous debates, they also expect lawmakers to find common ground and resolve their differences.
“Our legislators cannot ignore the lessons of our history and expect to maintain their integrity in the eyes of the people,” he said. “This is the worst time to subject the nation to this political drama. Our democracy is not yet strong enough to withstand a prolonged crisis, and our economy is in a fragile state. The winner of the upcoming elections will face a significant challenge in revitalising it.”
The Asantehene urged lawmakers to adopt a bi-partisan approach to resolving the current deadlock, calling for a spirit of reconciliation and cooperation in Parliament.
Despite a Supreme Court ruling that overruled Speaker Bagbin’s decision to declare four parliamentary seats vacant, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) caucus continues to assert that it holds the majority in Parliament.