Former President John Dramani Mahama has reacted to the Supreme Court’s recent decision recognizing the right of a presiding Deputy Speaker to vote.
The decision was “unexpected but not surprising,” according to the National Democratic Congress’s 2020 presidential candidate.
“An poor interpretation for convenience that sets a hazardous precedent of judicial meddling in Parliamentary procedure for the future,” he said of the 7-0 ruling by the Justice Jones Dotse-led Court.
On March 9, 2022, the Supreme Court issued a judgement affirming that a deputy Speaker of Parliament keeps his or her vote even when presiding over the House.
The judgement was handed down by a seven-member bench of the Supreme Court in a unanimous decision that also found elements of Parliament’s Standing Orders unlawful.