The Minority Leader in Parliament, Haruna Idrissu, has described the Supreme Court’s ruling that allows a Deputy Speaker of Parliament presiding over proceedings in Parliament to be counted in decision making as disappointing.

According to him, the ruling by the court amounts to judicial interference in time-tested Parliamentary practice and established conventions.

Speaking to the media in Parliament, Haruna Idrissu said the Supreme Court ruling is nothing but a way to show their support for E-Levy.

“Our attention has been drawn to a very disappointing ruling of the Supreme Court of Ghana with more or less amounts to judicial interference in time-tested Parliamentary practice and established conventions. Everywhere in the world, in civilized democracies including the United Kingdom, the presiding officer’s vote is discounted, so it’s not for nothing that Article 102 provides that ‘a person presiding shall have no original nor casting vote’.”

“judicial support for e-levy and nothing more, judicial support for a struggling economy in distress and a judicial support for the restoration of a matter that they have said is constitutional, is repugnant to the provisions of 102 and 104”. he said on March 8.

The Supreme Court has ruled that a Deputy Speaker of Parliament presiding over proceedings in Parliament has the right to be counted in decision making and has the right to participate in voting.

The court presided over by Justice Jones Dotse, held that the Deputy Speaker does not lose his right to take part in decision-making upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 103 and 104 of the 1992 Constitution.

The court, therefore, held that the passing of the budget on November 30, 2021 in which Joe Osei Owusu, the First Deputy Speaker counted himself as part of the quorum, was valid.

The court gave the unanimous decision today, March 9, 2022, after it dismissed a writ by a law lecturer, Justice Abdulai, who was challenging the decision of Mr Owusu to be counted as part of the quorum to pass the budget.

Justice Abdulai was seeking an interpretation by the Supreme Court on Articles 102 and 104 of the 1992 Constitution and declaring the action of Osei Owusu as unconstitutional.

He also wanted the Supreme Court to declare the whole proceedings in Parliament on November 30, 2021, which led to the passage of the 2022 budget as unconstitutional, insisting the Deputy Speaker should not have counted himself as an MP when he presided over proceedings.