Alexander Afenyo Markin, the current Majority Leader in parliament has been confirmed as the would-be Minority Leader in the 9th Parliament.
The National Council of the New Patriotic Party confirmed the names of the leadership in the 9th Parliament at a meeting on Thursday, January 2, 2025.
The rest are Patricia Appiagyei as Deputy Leader; Annoh Dompreh as Chief Whip, Habib Iddrisu as First Deputy Whip, and Davis Ansah Opoku as Second Deputy Whip.
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The Environmental Protection Bill, 2024 has been read the third time and passed on, Thursday, January 2, 2025.
The Bill seeks to establish the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to regulate, protect, and exercise general oversight and coordination over all matters relating to the environment and climate change.
It also seeks to re-enact the Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1994 (Act 490) and introduce a Pesticide Management Fund as well as re-enacts the Hazardous and Electronic Waste Control and Management Act, 2016 (Act 917) for consolidation.
Additionally, it makes provision for the implementation of actions that position Ghana to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
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The planning committee for the inauguration of the 9th Parliament and the swearing in of President-elect John Dramani Mahama chaired by Gifty Twum Ampofo has given assurance that media accreditation for journalists will be ready for collection by close of day, Thursday, January 2, 2025 at a media briefing.
According to the Committee names of journalists within and outside Parliament are being compiled where a link would be sent out for them to upload their pictures for printing.
In addition to question on preparation so far done, it was pointed out that names of journalists will be entered into a data system and printing of ID cards done within the shortest possible time.
It was further stated that media Houses that intend to do live broadcast should set up in Parliament by close of day on Thursday, January 2, 2025 as opportunity will not be given on Friday, December 3, 2025 when the President Nana Akufo-Addo deliver his final State of the Nation message.
On the issue of heavy military and police presence in Parliament it was pointed out that they are in to help parliament security beef up security till January 7, 2025.
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Parliament is reconvening today, January 2, 2025 amidst tight security all over the place.
A joint Police and Military Police personnel are currently busy with their sniffing dogs moving from office to office to ensure no threat is left undetected.
This development is expected as the parliament will in few days also host the President of the land, HE President Akufo-Addo as he delivers his last States of the Nation address.
The 8th parliament is winding up its activities to make way for the inauguration of the 9th parliament on January 6, 2025.
Though details are sketchy on the actual businesses to be transacted within this period, one issue that is lingering and of almost importance to the running of government machinery in the year has to do with the Mini-Budget to be presented by the Finance Minister on behalf of the president for the first quarter of 2025.
Though the Finance Minister failed to fulfilled this duty prior to the adjournment, the Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin blamed the conduct of the Minority for the shortfall and assured that government was willing to ensure this is done, and added that anytime parliament was recalled the finance Minister would be ready to fulfill.
There are also some outstanding businesses for consideration by the House including Tax waiver for One District One Factory Companies.
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The Majority women caucus of the 8th Parliament of the fourth Republic is appealing to the National Executive Council of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to maintain the current leaders in the new 9th Parliament yet to be sworn in.
At a press conference addressed by Shella Battels and flanked by the Sanitation and Water Resources Minister Lydia Alhssan Syram and Gifty Twum they appealed to NEC of NPP who will be meeting on Thursday, January 2, 2025 to maintain the current leadership of the Majority in the 9th Parliament as follows:
Minority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin; Deputy Minority Leader, Patricia Appiagye; Minority whip, Frank Annoh Dompreh.
They further pointed out that with the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill into law with the president Nana Akufo-Addo assenting to it, it has been a long and difficult journey, more especially ensuring female representation.
Previously, the caucus noted that when one looks at the front bench of the NPP, it was made up of only men hence the need to have a female at the front bench.
“We will not accept anything less than a woman in the leadership of the 9th Parliament from the National Executive Council of the NPP as they meet on Thursday, January 2, 2025 to take a decision”, the group asserts.
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The Rt. Hon. Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament has dismissed the assertion that the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) is made up of elite than any other party in Ghana under the fourth Republic.
According to him the Convention People’s Party (CPP) is made up of more elite than any other party but it’s all because the NPP has loud mouths and they are very good at branding.
Hence they branded former President John Agyekum Kufour as a gentle giant to win election and did same for someone else (Akufo-Addo) and he became president for eight years, “and the results are there for all of us to see”.
He made this remarks when the opposition NDC members of the Professional Forum conferred on him a citation in Parliament House and endorsed him to be re-elected as Speaker for the 9th Parliament.
He further thanked God for a peaceful December 7, 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary elections that witnessed former President John Dramani Mahama elected as President again.
By way of some historic insight into the name of the NDC, he said, “It took a lot of pains and time to take the name National Democratic Congress, so we are a congress; we did not take the name party, it’s a good reason why we took the name congress.
“We represent everybody unlike the others. The award is not recognition of my personal service but rather the collective effort, commitment of each member of the great congress.
Our opponents who claim to be new, none of them is new anyway, to be patriotic, none of them is patriotic; they say they belong to a party you can see whether it is really a party, he criticized.
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The National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) Parliamentary Candidate for Dome Kwabenya in the 2024 election, Faustina Akurugu Elikplim has been officially confirmed the Member of Parliament (MP) elected for Dome Kwabenya.
The EC made the declaration on Tuesday, December 31, 2024 during an emergency meeting of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC).
The declaration is a major shift by the Electoral Commission that has initially announced a rerun at one of the polling stations at Abokobi in which the EC cited some inconsistencies in the results.
Dome-Kwabenya had been one of nine constituencies facing challenges with the declaration of results as the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) candidate Mike Oquaye Jr. was not happy with the outcome also citing some irregularities.
Per the final results declared by the EC, NDC’s Faustina Akurugu won with 50,967 votes as against the NPP’s Mike Oquaye Jr. with 50,669 votes, thus a margin of 298 votes.
The Dome-Kwabenya has been one of the traditional seats for the New Patriotic Party in this fourth republic and considered one of the safe seats for the party. However, the current wave of defeat that swept through most of such traditional seats across the country in the 2024 election did not spare Dome-Kwabenya, and now in the hands of the National Democratic Congress.
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President Nana Akufo -Addo will on Friday, January 3, 2025 deliver his last State of the Nation Address as he brings his second term to an end as President of the Republic of Ghana.
This is in line with Article 67 of the 1992 constitution, that the president of the Republic of Ghana presents SONA prior to the dissolution of the eighth (8) Parliament.
The 8th Parliament of the 4th Republic will stand dissolved on Monday, January 6, 2025 and the 9th Parliament will reconvene on the same day at 11:00pm for the election of the Speaker and the two deputy Speakers as well as the swearing in of the new Members of Parliament elects at midnight.
In line with that media accreditation is being worked on and security will be tight on the day.
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The professional forum of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has made a strong case for the current Speaker, Alban Sumana Bagbin to be retained as the Speaker in the ninth parliament.
The President of the forum, Sam Pee Yalley, who made the call on behalf of the forum when the forum presented a citation to the Speaker in recognition of his leadership role said the experiences and mental dexterity exhibited by Hon. Bagbin, the first Speaker from an opposition party to have presided over a hang Parliament and doing so successfully was unmatched and must be encouraged to do more.
“For those who work with you, they see you as the Speaker, but we saw you as a pivotal link between the NDC as a party and the community. You represented the spirit of our party. Anytime we spoke to you and with you, you are insistent that you want to establish strong and stronger institutions as a priority.”
“We want to be the first to dare to say that our Members of Parliament should dare not make a mistake and change you”, Sam Pee Yalley emphasized.
Mr. Sam Pee Yale said the ninth parliament with the NDC with absolute majority also requires some level of commitment from the Speaker to be able to deliver the best for the country and Hon. Alban Bagbin’s experience is what is needed to achieve the desired results.
“You will be needed even more in this one sided parliament because if you are not who you are, there’s going to be the temptation of saying that, as somebody said, Doc, between your government just say Eye Zu and the people will say Eye Za’. But Rt. Hon Speaker, you are more than that.”
He said they believe that Mr Bagbin can lead above all these, “because of our firm believe that with you, Ghana first”.
In response to the honour bestowed on him, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin said “this award is not just recognition of my personal service; it symbolizes the collective effort, resilience, and dedication of each member of the great National Democratic Congress (NDC), and all those who have supported us in our relentless pursuit of a brighter future for Ghana”.
He commended the Proforum for their unwavering commitment and tireless work in facilitating the return of the NDC to power. “Your efforts, your strategic guidance, and your unyielding support have played an indispensable role in this monumental achievement. You have been the backbone of our party’s resurgence, and for that, we owe you a great debt of appreciation. Thank you for your dedication and hard work”, he added.
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The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin said the so-called MP-elects
from the Electoral Commission’s re-collation and re-declaration exercise are not qualified to be sworn in by him.
Speaking at a Citation Awards ceremony organized by the National Democratic Congress’ Professionals Forum at the D. F Annan Auditorium in Parliament on Saturday, December 28, 2024 where the Speaker was honoured with a Citation for his leadership role, Mr. Bagbin revealed that the decision of the Supreme Court just follows the position he took.
“The decision of the Supreme Court just follows the position I took before even they delivered their position”.
According to him, to become a Member of Parliament, “you have to be elected by the voter; and you have to be declared by the Electoral Commission; and you have to be sworn in by the Speaker.
Until you are sworn–in by the Speaker, you remain an MP-elect”.
“So I was very clear in my mind that some of those re-collations and re-declarations were completely null and void. They were unknown to the law and so they were not properly so-called MPs-elect, and not qualified to be sworn in by the Speaker”.
He said when he discussed his position with the Clark of Parliament and others, they were surprised, but “I told them, Yes, I’m a gatekeeper; the right thing must be done for us to be able to reset Ghana”.
The Supreme Court on Friday, December 27, 2024 quashed the re-collated exercise done by the Electoral Commission in four constituencies including Ablekuma North, Okaikoi Central, Tema Central, and Techiman South but upheld the re-collated results of Ahafo Ano North and Nsawam Adoagyiri because their results were not declared earlier at the constituency levels.
This was after the High Court on December 20, 2024 ordered the Electoral Commission to re-collate results in nine constituencies facing dispute which order the EC followed.
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