Legislative representation in
Ghana dates back to 1850, when the country was a British
colony known as
Gold Coast. The body called the
Legislative Council, was purely advisory as the Governor exercised all legislative and executive powers. Reforms were introduced in 1916 and 1925, although the governor's power remained extensive. In 1946, a new
constitution was introduced that allowed for an unofficial member of the Legislative Council to become its president while the governor ceased to be the
ex officio president of the body. This system continued until 1951 when the Legislature elected its first
Speaker - Sir
Emmanuel Charles Quist. 1951 was also the first year that elections based on
universal suffrage was held. The
Convention People's Party (CPP), formed in 1949 and led by
Kwame Nkrumah won
the election that was held. Another party called the
United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) led by
J.B. Danquah performed poorly and was disbanded soon after. Nkrumah, who had been jailed in early 1950 for
subversion, was released and appointed Leader of Government Business, becoming the country's first
Prime Minister in the following year.
Legislative Assembly elections held in 1954 resulted in another CPP victory, with the party winning 71 out of a total of 104 seats. It also won 71 out of 104 seats in the
1956 Legislative Assembly election. The Gold Coast was renamed to Ghana and granted independence on Wednesday, 6 March 1957, while retaining the British monarch as head of state. The Legislative Assembly was renamed National Assembly. After the approval of a new Republican constitution, Ghana officially became a
republic on 1 July 1960 with Kwame Nkrumah as its
President.
The plebiscite was taken as a fresh mandate from the people and the terms of National Assembly members were extended for another five years. A
one-party state was introduced following
a referendum in 1964. As a result, only CPP candidates stood in the
National Assembly Election held in 1965. Nkrumah was overthrown in 1966 by the military, which banned political parties and dissolved the National Assembly. The country returned to civilian rule in 1969.
Elections held on 29 August same year resulted in victory for the
Progress Party (PP) of
Kofi Abrefa Busia, which won 105 of the National Assembly's 140 seats. He took office as
Prime Minister on 3 September 1969. His government was toppled in a 1972 military
coup. During the Third Republic, which lasted from 1979 to 1981, the dominant party in the National Assembly was the
People's National Party (PNP), led by Hilla Limann, which won 71 out of 104 seats in
elections held on 18 June 1979. After the military intervened in 1981, all elected institutions were dissolved and political party activity was prohibited.
Parliament of the Fourth Republic After 11 years of military rule, a new constitution was approved in a
1992 referendum.
Presidential elections were held in November and were won by
Jerry Rawlings, leader of the 1981 coup and subsequent military ruler. The opposition contested the results and
boycotted the
December parliamentary elections. As a result, Rawlings'
National Democratic Congress (NDC) won 189 out of 200 seats in Parliament. All parties participated in the
1996 parliamentary elections. The NDC won 133 out of a total of 200 seats, while the main opposition
New Patriotic Party (NPP) won 60. Two smaller political party groups won the remaining seats. The
2000 elections were significant in the sense that, President Rawlings was constitutionally barred from seeking another term. In the
presidential poll,
John Kufuor of the NPP defeated the NDC candidate
John Atta Mills in a
run-off election. In the 200-seat Parliament, the NPP won 100, followed by the NDC's 92. Smaller political party groups and independent candidates won the remaining seats. Kufuor was
re-elected in 2004 and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) won 128 out of 230 seats in the concurrent
parliamentary election. The main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) won 94, while two other parties - The
People's National Convention (PNC) and Convention People's Party (CPP) - won 4 and 3 seats respectively.
Independent candidates captured the remaining seat. The simple majority (or
First Past the Post)
voting system is used in Ghana's parliamentary elections. Since 2012, the country is divided into 275 single-member
constituencies. Members serve four-year terms.
Leadership structure shakes hands after delivering a speech to the Ghanaian Parliament at the
Parliament House in July 2009 delivering a speech to the Ghanaian Parliament at the
Parliament House in July 2019 •
Speaker - The Speaker presides over the Parliament and enforces observance of all rules that govern its conduct. After a general election, the majority party in Parliament in consultation with other parties nominates a Speaker. The Speaker cannot be a Member of Parliament though they must possess the qualifications to stand for elections as a Member of Parliament, such person on appointment as Speaker must resign and declare the seat occupied in Parliament as vacant. The Speaker is assisted by two Deputy Speakers (First and Second Deputy Speakers), who are elected at the commencement of every Parliament. They must come from different political parties. The current Speaker is
Alban Kingsford Sumani Bagbin. ===Composition of Parliament after the
2018 Ghanaian new regions referendum=== ==Committees of Parliament==