The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has stated that there can be no democracy in the country without patience.
He called for patience in addressing the issue of vacant seats in Parliament, emphasizing that impatience would not be advisable in resolving the matter.
“There can be no democracy without patience, tolerance, discipline, collaboration, love for one another, and conscious building,” he said.
Mr. Bagbin made these remarks during a press engagement held in Parliament on Wednesday, 6th November 2024.
The ongoing case between the Speaker and the Supreme Court arose when the Speaker declared four seats vacant in the chamber following the intention of the Members representing those seats to contest the upcoming elections on tickets other than the ones that brought them to Parliament.
For the past few weeks, Parliament has continued to conduct business and is expected to resume on Thursday. This situation has raised concerns about the state of the country’s democracy.
The case, which is currently before the Supreme Court, has been heavily criticized, particularly after the Chief Justice of the Republic, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, appeared dissatisfied during proceedings last week.
For Alban Bagbin, Parliament is not dissolved but is “alive and working.”
He explained that the “plenary sittings and meetings of Parliament were adjourned indefinitely due to a lack of quorum to make decisions.”
He added that the current state of Parliament “has to be resolved with time and the engagement of many more leaders than those in Parliament.”
