There was pandemonium in Parliament on Thursday at dawn as Ghana ushered in the eighth parliament of the Fourth Republic, following the 7 December elections.
MPs-elect went berserk and held up proceedings for well over four hours before settling the election of a new Speaker of Parliament.
Tempers flared as the Clerk to Parliament, who was presiding over the voting, initially ruled that the MP-elect for Assin North, James Gyekye Quayson of the National Democratic Congress, could not participate in the voting because of a court injunction.
Snatch a box
The decision did not go down well with NDC MPs-elect, and pockets of pushing and shoving emerged in the chamber. The marshals of Parliament had a tough time restoring order in the House.
At one point, when relative calm was restored and voting began, Muntaka Mubarak, the MP-elect for Asawase, led a charge to snatch the ballot box. Other MPs kicked over the voting booths, leading to total melee in the chamber in the full glare of the public.
Armed military men had to intervene to calm tempers, but their intervention provoked the MPs of the largest opposition party, who chanted patriotic songs and hooted at them to leave the House.
“We’ll resist oppressors’ rule … away!” the NDC MPs sang.
After a while the military, had to leave the House. Calm was restored.
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