The 8th Parliament – True test of Ghana’s democracy
By Alswel O. Annan
JAN 18, 2021
Since 1992 when the 4th Republic was conceived and birthed, there have always being a clear Majority and Minority Caucus. More to the point, Speaker for all but one of the Parliamentary terms have always been nominated by and emerged from the majority caucus which coincidentally but not too surprisingly have always been the government in power or which won the Popular Presidential vote.
A swift but careful walk through memory lane presents the following speakers of parliament with their respective government in power in the Fourth Republic. NDC from 1993 till 2001 had its member Rt.Hon. Daniel Francis Annan as speaker for both the 1st and 2nd Parliament; the NPP between 2001 and 2009 presented two speakers in Rt. Hon. Peter Ala Adjetey and Rt.Hon. Ebenezer Sekyi Hughes for the 3rd and 4th Parliament respectively; the NDC between 2009 to 2013 nominated Rt. Hon. Joyce Adeline-Bamford Addo Speaker of the 5th Parliament thus making her the1st and only Female Speaker and for its second term nominated Rt. Hon. Edward Adjaho as Speaker of the 6th Parliament from 2013 to 2017. In 2017, the NPP nominated Rt. Hon. Prof. Rev. Aron Mike Oquaye as speaker of the 7th Parliament.