Mike Ocquaye to be sworn in as Acting President again
For the second time in a week, Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Ocquaye will take a second bite at the presidency as he gets ready to be sworn in as Acting President again.
The gathering on Saturday, January 27 is as a result of President Akufo-Addo's scheduled visit to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for the African Union summit while Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia remains in London on medical leave.
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According to the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the house will reconvene at 8.30 am for a sitting that will not last for more than an hour and a half.
"Mr Speaker, we are required to sit at 8.30 in the morning, its likely that we will not be here for more than an hour and a half. So we shall have sufficient time to attend other social activities including funerals...," the Majority leader said in an address to the house on Friday.
Swearing in of Speaker needless - Ras Mubarak
However, the Member of Parliament for Kumbungu, Ras Mubarak has described as needless the swearing in of the Speaker any time the president and vice-president are out of the jurisdiction of Ghana.
According to him, such emergency sittings of parliament are "completely unnecessary and the Supreme Court did Ghana a disservice when it made the practice law.
“As constitutional as it is, I think it’s completely unnecessary and the Supreme Court did Ghana a disservice when it ruled that the Speaker has to be sworn in each time President and Vice are out of the jurisdiction,” Mr Mubarak said in an interview with classfmonline.com.
Article 60(11) of the 1992 constitution reads: “Where the President and the Vice-President are both unable to perform the functions of the President, the Speaker of Parliament shall perform those functions until the President or the Vice-President is able to perform those functions or a new President assumes office, as the case may be.”
Mr Mubarak questioned: “When the president travels outside of Ghana, does that render the president incapable of performing the functions of President?”
He added, “I’ve given an indication to legal counsel to apply to the Supreme Court for a review of the decision that got us having to come to parliament each time President and Vice are out.”
