Alban Bagbin, newly elected Speaker of Parliament, has pledged to work in the interest of Ghana.
Delivering his acceptance speech moments after he was sworn into office, Bagbin promised to bring his 28 years of experience as a lawmaker to bear in his work.
“I will also conscientiously discharge my duties as a speaker of this Parliament. I want to promise whole heartedly to put at the disposal of Parliament and the country the huge databank I have accumulated over the 28 years that I have been a member of this House,” he said.
Bagbin added: “I’m so happy and grateful to all of you. I will submit myself to the will of this House and pledge to serve my dear country and to serve you and to serve all Ghanaians faithfully to the best of my ability. I will also conscientiously discharge my duties as Speaker of this Parliament.”
The former MP for Nadowli Kaleo won in closely contested secret ballot in Parliament against former Speaker, Prof Aaron Mike Oquaye.
He polled 138 votes against his predecessor’s 136 with one legislator failing to vote.
Meanwhile, MP for Bekwai Joseph Osei-Owusu was elected first Deputy Speaker of Parliament with the Second Deputy Speaker position going to Andrew Amoako Asiamah, the independent MP for Fomena.
Suspension of counting
Earlier, counting was suspended after a tensed election for a Speaker on Thursday when a New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP, Carlos Ahenkorah, snatched the ballot papers in the process.
The Tema West MP interrupted the process when the NDC side began jubilating, sensing their preferred candidate for speaker, Prof Aaron Mike Oquaye, had probably lost.
It took lawmakers on the opposite side and security officials to chase the NPP MP to retrieve the ballot papers.
Total chaos
There was total pandemonium in Ghana’s parliament Thursday dawn ushering in the eighth Parliament after the 7 December elections.
MPs-elect went berserk and held proceedings for well over four hours prior to the election of a new Speaker of Parliament.
Tempers flared as the Clerk of Parliament, who was presiding over the voting exercise, initially ruled that the MP-elect for Assin North, James Gyekye Quayson, cannot participate in the voting because of a court injunction.
The decision did not go down well with National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs-elect, ensuing in pockets of altercations and fisticuffs in the Chamber as marshals of parliament had it tough restoring law and order in the House.
At a point when order was restored and voting began, MP-elect for Asawase, Muntaka Mubarak, led a charge to snatch the ballot box while others kicked the voting booth leading to total melee in the Chamber in the full glare of the public.
Armed military men had to intervene in the Chamber to calm tempers, but that provoked the largest opposition MPs who chanted patriotic songs and hooted at them to leave the House.
“We’ll resist oppressors’ rule… away!” the NDC MPs chanted.
After a while the military had to vacate the House before calm was restored.
Fred Dzakpata
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