The Clerk of Parliament must notify the Electoral Commission that the Dome-Kwabenya Constituency seat is vacant, according to Joseph Osei-Owusu, the chairman of the Parliament’s Privileges Committee.
According to Mr. Osei-Owusu, the Committee came to this determination after hearing from two of the three NPP MPs who had been missing from Parliament for more than 15 consecutive sittings.
As per Article 97 of Ghana’s Constitution, a member of Parliament must vacate his/her seat if he/she is away from the House for fifteen sittings without the permission of the Speaker and is unable to provide a reasonable explanation to the Parliamentary Committee on Privileges.
“In accordance with the law, it is for the Clerk to inform the Electoral Commission that a vacancy has occurred, that is what the Constitution says, that is what our report reflects.”
He added that the Committee tried everything to get her to show up and explain her absence.
He went on to say that her refusal to appear meant she had automatically vacated the seat.
In the meanwhile, the Committee has agreed to “pardon” Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong and Ayawaso Central MP Henry Quartey, who both missed more than 15 consecutive sittings of Parliament last year.
