Ghana’s Supreme Court has reinstated the ruling New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) parliamentary majority ahead of the December 7 elections. This decision came after Speaker Alban Bagbin’s declaration of four parliamentary seats as vacant was deemed unconstitutional. Bagbin’s move had temporarily shifted the parliamentary majority to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), but the court’s 5-2 ruling has now restored the NPP’s slim majority—138 seats to the NDC’s 137. This ruling stabilizes the NPP’s position ahead of the closely watched elections, which will see former President John Mahama face off against Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia. However, there are concerns over the election’s integrity, with the NDC alleging voter roll irregularities. The December vote will mark Ghana’s ninth consecutive general election since returning to multi-party democracy in 1992.
SOURCE: AP NEWS
