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Voting Rights of Deputy Speakers Transparent On The Face of Constitution – Akufo-Addo
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said the unanimous decision taken by the Supreme Court, in its ruling of Wednesday (9 March) on the voting rights of Deputy Speakers, should put the matter to rest.
According to Akufo-Addo, he was surprised by the furore that was generated on whether or not Deputy Speakers of Parliament could vote, once they were presiding in the chamber.
In an interview with Charles Takyi-Boadu of the Daily Guide newspaper, on Thursday (10 March), on the sidelines of Dubai Expo 2020, the President stated that “as far as I can see it, and I think the Supreme Court has confirmed it, the matters involved in this are open and shut, they are black and white. There can be no dispute about the issues that the gentleman took to the Supreme Court.”
He indicated that Articles 102, 104 of the Constitution make it absolutely clear, “in black and white”, that the Deputy Speakers when they are presiding have the right to participate in the vote of the Parliament.
“Indeed, and I believe that is part of the reasoning of the Court, all the Legislatures of the world, where the presiding person is a Member of the Legislature, like our Deputy Speakers, are, like the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the United States of America or the President pro tempore of the Senate in the United States, or the Speaker of the British Parliament have the right to speak because they are Members of the Assembly,” President Akufo-Addo said.
He continued, “Our Speaker is expressly not a Member of the Assembly, that is why he doesn’t have the right to vote. In fact, he really ought not to participate in the deliberations of the House, he is a referee making sure that the debate is conducted properly, or the orders of the House are complied with. That is his role. But he ought, strictly speaking, not to be part of the proceedings of the House. That is not the case with the Deputy Speakers, and that matter is transparent on the face of our Constitution”.
The President noted that even the Presiding Members in the country’s District Assemblies have the right to vote because they are members of the Assembly.
“Once you’re a member of the Assembly, and you’re representing certain constituencies. If you are denied your right to vote, it is tantamount to denying the right of the people you represent to have a say in the decisions of the Assembly. That will not be right. So, I could not understand what the furore and controversy that was artificially generated,” he added.