There will be no by-election at the Mfantseman constituency in the Central Region following the killing of the Member of Parliament for the area, Ekow Kwansah Hayford last Friday.
Per Article 112 (5) of the 1992 Constitution, a by-election shall be held within 30 days after a vacancy occurs in Parliament.
That notwithstanding, Clause 5 of Article 112 of the Constitution also states that a by-election shall not be held within three months before the holding of a general election.
Therefore since Ekow Kwansah Hayford died 60 days before the December 7, 2020 general election, there can be no election by mere calculation of the period which is less than three months to the general election.
On the floor of Parliament on Wednesday [October 14, 2020] there was a discussion that some media houses had published that there was going to be a by-election following the killing of the MP.
But reacting, the Speaker of Parliament, Prof Aaron Mike Oquaye advised the media to desist from misleading the public, reports Nana Konadu Agyeman, who is Graphic Online’s correspondent in Parliament.
The Speaker said the sudden death of the Mfantseman MP does not automatically pave the way for a by-election. He said per Article 112 (5) of the Constitution, a by-election shall be held within 30 days after a vacancy occurred.
He said notwithstanding Clause 5 of the Article 112 a by-election shall not be held within three months before the holding of a general election.
Source:Fiilafmonline/Graphic
