The Role of The Speaker of Parliament of Ghana

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The Speaker is the first officer of the House. He/she is one of the three highest officers of the State, ranking third in the official order of precedence after the President and the Vice President.

The office of the Speaker was first created in the then Gold Coast, under the Gold Coast(Constitution) Order in Council, 1950. Since then all Constitutions of the land have provided for the election of the Speaker of the Legislature.

The Fourth Republic Constitution provides that the Speaker shall preside in Parliament at all Sittings and in his/her absence, a Deputy Speaker.

The Speaker of Parliament “shall be elected by the Members of Parliament from among persons who are members or who are qualified to be elected as Members of Parliament.”

According to the constitution, “no business shall be transacted in Parliament other than an election to the office of the Speaker, at any time when the office of Speaker is vacant.”

In the discharge of his/her numerous responsibilities and the exercise of the powers vested in him/her, the Speaker is expected to be impartial and does not take part in debate on the floor of the House. Behind the scenes, he/she exercises considerable influence in forging consensus on major issues, while fairly and firmly enforcing order and consistently applying the established practices of the House.

 As head of the Parliamentary Institution and Chairperson of the Parliamentary Service Board, the Speaker has ultimate responsibility for the Service. The Speaker of Parliament presides over Parliament and enforces the
observance of the Standing Orders.

The Speaker’s decision is never appealed on at any point of order and shall
not be reviewed by the House, except upon a substantive motion made
after notice.

The Speaker must be non-partisan and patient. The Speaker can exercise indirect influence on both the majority and minority to reach a consensus when necessary. However, the Speaker has neither an “original nor casting vote.”

Name Period
Sir. Emmanuel Charles Quist March 1951 – December 1957
Hon. Justice Augustus Molade Akiwumi February 1958 – June 1960
Hon. Joseph Richard Asiedu July 1960 – June 1965
Hon. Kofi Asante Ofori Atta 10th June 1965 – 24th February 1966
Hon. Justice Nii Amaa Ollenu October 1969 – 13th January 1972
Hon. Justice J. Hackenburg Griffiths-Randolph 24th Sept. 1979 – 31st December 1981
   
Under the Fourth Republic  
Rt. Hon. Justice Daniel Francis Annan 7th January 1993 – 6th January 2001
Rt. Hon. Peter Ala Adjetey 7th January 2001 – 6th January 2005
Rt. Hon. Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi Hughes 7th January 2005 – 6th January 2009
Rt. Hon. Justice Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo 7th January 2009 – 6th January 2013
Rt. Hon. Edward Doe Adjaho 7th January 2013 – 6th January 2017
Rt. Hon. Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye 7th January 2017 – to 6th January 2021
Rt. Hon. Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin 7th January 2021 – to date

First Deputy Speaker
Due to the possible absence of the Speaker, two Deputy Speakers are
elected. The Deputy Speakers “shall not be members of the same political
party.” When a First Deputy Speaker presides, he or she exercises all the
powers of the Speaker for the “effective and efficient conduct of business
in the House.” According to the Standing Orders of Parliament, the First
Deputy Speaker also presides over the Appointments and the Privileges
Committees.

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Second Deputy Speaker
When both the Speaker and the First Deputy Speaker are absent, the Second Deputy Speaker presides over sittings of parliament. Under these circumstances, he exercises all the powers of the Speaker “for the effective
and efficient conduct of business in the House.” Additionally, in accordance
with the Standing Orders of Parliament, the Second Deputy Speaker presides
over the Committee on Members Holding Offices of Profit.

Read Also >>> HISTORY AND COMPOSITION OF THE PARLIAMENT OF GHANA