By Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, stated that there can be no democracy in the country without patience.
He urged patience in addressing the issue of vacant seats in Parliament, emphasizing that impatience would not be conducive to resolving the matter.
“There can be no democracy without patience, tolerance, discipline, collaboration, love for one another, and conscious building,” he said.
Mr. Bagbin made these remarks during a press briefing at Parliament on Wednesday, November 6, 2024.
The ongoing case between the Speaker and the Supreme Court stems from the Speaker’s decision to declare four seats vacant in Parliament after the Members representing those seats expressed their intention to contest the upcoming elections under different party tickets than those that initially brought them to Parliament.
For the past few weeks, Parliament has continued its business and is expected to resume on Thursday. This situation has raised concerns about the state of the country’s democracy.
The case, now before the Supreme Court, has faced significant criticism, especially following the Chief Justice of the Republic, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo’s, apparent dissatisfaction during proceedings last week.
For Alban Bagbin, Parliament is not dissolved but is “alive and working”.
He explained that the “plenary sittings and meetings of Parliament were adjourned indefinitely due to a lack of quorum to take decisions”.
He added that the current state of Parliament “has to be resolved with time and the engagement of many more leaders than those in Parliament”.
