The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Caucus in Parliament has indicated that without an iota of doubt, the party would constitute the majority in Parliament when the House conveys today.
Giving reasons for making such a statement, the Leader of the NPP in Parliament, Mr Osei Kyei- Mensah- Bonsu, who was addressing the press in Parliament House yesterday, said that the independent candidate had decided to pitch camp with them, hence, making them the majority.
“The fact that adding one to the 137 of the NPP will put the NPP caucus in the majority, and, therefore, making their leader the Majority Leader, comes without any equivocation.”
Mr Kyei-Mensah’s statement was in response to comments made by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) , that the decision made by the independent candidate to work with the NPP does not mean they are the majority in Parliament.
Mr Kyei-Mensah said that such a statement depicts a lack of understanding of who constitutes a majority in parliament.
Throwing light on why the independent candidate’s decision to work with the NPP makes the majority in Parliament, Mr Kyei-Mensah said that forming the majority in Parliament is not dependent on just one party.
He said that assuming the NPP had garnered 120 seats in the recent elections, and NDC had garnered 130 seats, the two put together would be 250.
He continued that judging by the numbers, the NDC would definitely control majority of the seats in Parliament, but that does not make them the majority, because they couldn’t cross the 137.
He said the remaining 25 seats, which would, perhaps, be made up of members from other minority parties and independent candidates, if they elected to do business with the NDC which would push their number to 155, then unquestionably, the NDC would become the majority and their leader would be the Majority Leader.
However, if the 25 decide not to do business with the NDC, but rather the NPP, then the NPP would also become the majority in Parliament, because their number would move from 130 to 155.
“This is what happens everywhere in the world. Unless somebody who is unaware of parliamentary democratic practice who would challenge this.
“Anybody who is aware of parliamentary democratic system knows this. I don’t see why this is becoming a subject of litigation,” Mr Kyei-Mensah- Bonsu queried.
Mr Kyei-Mensah said that the NDC was also aware of the parliamentary democratic practice, that’s why it also reached out to the independent candidate to work with them.
“I am aware that the NDC also tried to reach out to the independent candidate, and was born out of the confession of the Chief Whip, who said he was disappointed that the independent candidate turned him down. Why was he disappointed, and what was the purpose of trying to reach out to him?”
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