Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has said electoral violence must not be condoned as it stains the country’s democracy.
Speaking in Parliament on Thursday, July 24, 2025, he said the House must address issues of electoral violence seriously and discuss the way forward to curb future occurrences.
“The Minority Chief Whip is raising a very serious matter. I think we should take a day to debate on it for everyone to be involved because it takes away the shine of our democracy in this country.
So, it is not something we can gloss over, but I want to plead with him because I didn’t know this was what he was going to say, and my intention is for us to devote a day and have enough time to take this matter through.
Particularly, you the players must be more worried than anybody else. I want to urge the Minority Chief Whip to let us talk today because we don’t have time to do that,” Bagbin said.
The Speaker’s advice comes after the Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, was making a statement on the recent violence recorded during the Ablekuma North rerun.
The Nsawam-Adoagyiri MP, while demanding justice be served to the perpetrators of the crime, was interrupted by the Speaker, who advised that his concerns were not included in the business of the day.
Bagbin pleaded with the Minority Chief Whip to hold on with his statement for the Finance Minister to present the mid-year budget review, after which his concerns could be debated.
However, Annoh-Dompreh and other Minority colleagues disagreed with the Speaker and walked out ahead of the mid-year budget presentation, insisting that they could not take part.
“I will not on any day defy your authority. We have outlined a number of activities to back home our demand and to the extent that these violences visited are not atoned.
To that extent, we are exiting Parliament and cannot be part of this process,” he declared.
Source:Fiilafmonline/3News
