CDD-Ghana Executive Director Criticizes Mahama’s Public Endorsement of Speaker Bagbin for 9th Parliament

Professor H. Kwesi Prempeh, the Executive Director of the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), has voiced his concerns over the recent public endorsement of Alban Sumana Bagbin as Speaker of the 9th Parliament by President-elect John Dramani Mahama.

In a statement, Prempeh expressed that Mahama’s endorsement of Bagbin should have come after a more collaborative process within the National Democratic Congress (NDC). He argued that the endorsement letter should have originated from Members of Parliament, rather than directly from the office of the president-elect.

“It would have been more appropriate if the attached letter read as follows: ‘The Members of Parliament-elect of the National Democratic Congress, [having consulted with the National Executive of the Party], have agreed collectively to support the nomination and re-election of the Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Speaker of the 8th Parliament, as Speaker of the 9th Parliament,’” Prempeh suggested.

This criticism highlights concerns about the proper procedural channels for nominating the Speaker of Parliament, suggesting that it would have been more fitting for the endorsement to come from MPs themselves, before Mahama publicly affirmed his support.

Despite the disagreement, Prempeh’s comments underscore the importance of parliamentary independence and the need for procedural integrity in the functioning of Ghana’s legislature.

Read His Post Below

“Choosing the Speaker of Parliament, head of the second branch of the State, is a constitutional duty and prerogative of the Members of an incoming Parliament voting individually by sacret ballot. It is to be expected that the President, being head of Government, would have a strong interest and influence in the choice of Speaker, as the occupant of the Speaker’s chair must work closely with the President and his Ministers to ensure the smooth running of government. In particular, where, as in the incoming Parliament, the party of the President also controls an overwhelming majority of the seats in Parliament, the President’s preference for Speaker should be expected to carry great weight in the MPs’ decision. So, there is nothing wrong for the President to publicly express and indicate his preference for Speaker and to urge or admonish . However, we must not entrench the impression or practice in the 4th Republic where the Speaker is seen as a nominee of the President, as this press release implies. This is one of the legacies and features of our Imperial Presidency that further subordinates the Legislature to the Executive. We should move away from that.

It will have been more proper if the attached letter read as follows: “The Members of Parliament-elect of the National Democratic Congress, [having consulted with the National Executive of the Party], have agreed collectively to support the nomination and re-election of the Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Badgin, Speaker of the 8th Parliament, as Speaker of the 9th Parliament.”

The President-elect can then freely announce his endorsement of this choice. But for the President-elect to “mandate”? What is that!!!

What is worth doing is worth doing properly.

Having said that, I congratulate the Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin, Speaker of the 8th Parliament, on securing the support of the Majority Party in the incoming Parliament for his re-election as Speaker of the 9th Parliament of the Republic of Ghana”.