Supreme Court Declares Speaker’s Move to Vacate Four Parliamentary Seats Unconstitutional

In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court has declared the Speaker of Parliament’s decision to vacate four parliamentary seats unconstitutional. The ruling, delivered in a 5-2 majority decision on Tuesday morning, favored an application brought forward by the Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin.

Reports from the courtroom is that the case centered around the interpretation of Article 97(1)(g) and (h) of the Constitution, with the court ruling that an MP can only vacate their seat within the same parliamentary term and not a future one. This interpretation effectively invalidates the Speaker’s declaration, meaning the four MPs retain their seats in Parliament.

The Chief Justice delivered the decision, noting that the plaintiff’s case succeeded under the 5-2 ruling. Two of the justices expressed concerns over the jurisdiction of the case, though the majority ruled in favor of Afenyo-Markin’s application.

The Supreme Court will release its full reasoning on the ruling tomorrow, November 13, 2024.