Deputy speakers now allowed to vote secretly in Parliament – Bagbin
The House has revised its standing orders to allow for deputy speakers to cast secret ballots in the House, according to Speaker of the House Alban Bagbin. Mr. Bagbin asserts that the examination of the standing rules will put an end to the uncertainty and disarray that have plagued voting in the House. Deputy Speakers…
The House has revised its standing orders to allow for deputy speakers to cast secret ballots in the House, according to Speaker of the House Alban Bagbin.
Mr. Bagbin asserts that the examination of the standing rules will put an end to the uncertainty and disarray that have plagued voting in the House.
Deputy Speakers were not previously permitted to participate in House votes.
Alban Bagbin stated that Deputy Speakers can now use their right to vote by informing the clerks of their preferences in a public forum in Tarkoradi.
“Now we have come up with new standing orders. So a lot of work has been done within this period. Revising the standing orders which started in 2002 has not been successful until now, but within three years, we have succeeded in doing so.
“The first and second deputy speakers when you are presiding in my absence, you can vote by indicating your preference to the clerks in silence, and he will add to the number.
“It’s not in your place to say those who are supporting say ‘I’ and you are also shouting ‘I’, how then do you determine if you also shouted?” The Speaker of Parliament said.
In April 2022, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected a request for reconsideration of its earlier decision regarding the voting privileges of the deputy speaker or member presiding in parliament.
Plaintiff in the original case Justice Abdulai, a private attorney, requested a review of the decision, claiming that it “constitutes exceptional circumstances that resulted in the miscarriage of justice.”
