Ghana achieved independence on 6th March, 1957. The political struggles that preceded this historic event date back over a hundred years.
The early period of nationalist struggle for political independence created political awareness and desire to assert the right of self-determination both for the individual and the State.
As far back as 1850, Ghana, then Gold Coast, was given its own Legislative Council to advise the colonial governor in enacting legislation mainly in the form of Ordinances “for the peace, order and good government of the subject.” The Legislative Council was purely advisory as the Governor exercised all legislative and executive powers.
In 1916 the Legislative Council was reconstituted to include nine nominated officials, six of whom were Africans, as opposed to eleven officials and the Governor. The first Legislative Council elections ever to be held took place in 1925 under the Guggisberg Constitution. Under this arrangement the Governor still retained complete control of legislation.
Under the 1946 Bums Constitution which replaced the Guggisberg Constitution, the representatives of the people formed the majority in the Legislative Council. The Governor ceased to be ex-officio President of the Legislative Council and an unofficial member was appointed president. This system continued until 1951 when the Legislature elected its first Speaker under the 1950 Constitution.
In 1951 the first large-scale elections to the Legislative Assembly took place when 75 members were elected. There were three nominated ex-officio members and six special members representing commercial and mining interests.
The 1954 transitional Constitution provided for an Assembly of a Speaker and 104 members elected on party lines on the basis of Universal Adult Suffrage. In 1957, when Ghana achieved full political independence, the constitution was fashioned after the Westminster model. In June, 1960 ten women were elected by the National Assembly to fill specially created seats. This was done to expose women to parliamentary life. This system of election was not intended to be permanent. The Act made no provision for filling a vacancy caused by death, resignation or expulsion of a woman member.
On 1st July, 1960 Ghana became a sovereign unitary Republic. In February, 1964, Ghana adopted a one-party system of government. The First National Assembly of the Republic was dissolved in 1965 and a general election in which all the 198 members, all of them members of the national party, the Convention People’s Party (CPP), were elected unopposed. The 1964 Constitutional Amendments, among other things, increased the powers and prerogatives of the President.
In February 1966, the First Republican government was overthrown by a military coup which installed a military government that remained in power up to September 1969, when, on its own volition, it handed over power to another constitutionally elected government, and thereby restored parliamentary rule once again.
After only 22 months in office, the second parliamentary democracy also succumbed to another military rule between January 1972 and October 1979, when under much political pressure, that military government was compelled to usher in the Third Republican parliamentary system.
In December 1981, parliamentary democracy was once more thrown into cold storage as a result of yet another military coup. However, the country returned to constitutional rule again on 7th January, 1993.
Legislative Arm under the Fourth Republican Constitution
Ghana has a unicameral Legislature composed of 275 Members of Parliament from single-member constituencies with an Executive President who appoints ministers majority of whom by the Constitution have to come from Parliament.
Parliament operates very much on the lines of the Parliament of Westminster. It follows to some extent, the Westminster model, making provision for ministers to be questioned in Parliament, and also for Members of Parliament to make statements on matters of public importance, for them to introduce motions on the matters which they consider important and for them to approve the policies of government in general. The government, for example, cannot enter into any international agreement without the ratification of Parliament: and various such controls exist.
Life of Parliament
A term of the Parliament of Ghana spans over a period of four (4) years from the first sitting day following a general election as stipulated by Article 113 (1) of the 1992 Constitution. Article 112 (2) of the same Constitution provides that, a Session of that period between the last and first Sitting of the next Session of Parliament shall not amount to twelve (12) months. Within a session of Parliament, there are periods of Meetings and Sittings.
Session of Parliament
A Session of Parliament is the Sitting(s) of Parliament commencing upon the first Meeting of Parliament after a dissolution and ending when Parliament is dissolved. By a Constitutional Instrument, the Speaker of Parliament exercises the power of summoning a new Session of Parliament. In practice, the first Session of Parliament begins on the 7th January after a general election. On the average, Parliament sits for 28 weeks and goes on recess for 24 weeks within a session. The House sits from Tuesday to Friday, making an average of 132 sittings in a session.
Meeting of Parliament
A session of Parliament is made up of periods known as meetings. A meeting is a sitting or sittings of Parliament commencing when Parliament first meets after being summoned at anytime and ending when Parliament is adjourned sine die or at the conclusion of a session.
Ordinarily, there are three meetings in a session: First meeting begins from January to March, second meeting starts from May to July while the Third Meeting starts from October and ends in December.
Sitting of Parliament
A sitting of Parliament is the period during which Parliament sits continuously without adjournment.
Today In Parliament
…with Franklin Asare-Donkoh
