The sixth parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana has officially been dissolved, paving way for the seventh parliament, which was inaugurated on the midnight of Saturday, January 7, 2017.
The seventh parliament of the Fourth Republic will run for a four-year term.
The 275 MPs including several first timers, were led by the new Speaker, Prof. Mike Oquaye, to take the oath of the Member of Parliament, as well as the oath of allegiance.
This was after the new Speaker had himself been sworn into office by the Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP), with 171 seats in Parliament, form the majority, and have therefore moved from the new Speaker’s left hand side to occupy seats to his right, while the outgoing NDC administration, with 104 MPs forming the minority side, have moved to the left side.
Professor Mike Oquaye now leads the House as the new Speaker of Parliament, while Joseph Osei-Owusu, the Member of Parliament for Bekwai constituency, has been elected as the First Deputy Speaker, with the NDC’s Alban Kingsford Sumani Bagbin, elected the 2nd Deputy Speaker.
The Member of Parliament for the Suame constituency, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, is the Majority Leader in the new parliament, and with Sarah Adjoa Sarfo, MP for Dome-Kwabenya, serving as his Deputy, the second female to take that position after the late Gladys Asmah.
The NDC’s Member of Parliament for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu, is the Minority Leader, who will be deputized by the Member of Parliament for Ketu North, James Klutse Avedzi.
Other leaders selected for the side are Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, who will maintain his position as the Chief Whip, with the Member of Parliament for Banda, Ahmed Ibrahim, and the Member of Parliament for Ada East, Hon. Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe-Ghansah, serving as deputy chief whips.
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By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana