- “Together, you and I will be charting new territory in the governance and politics of the Fourth Republic, for this is the first time in the life of this republic that a president from one party will be obliged, by the exigencies of the moment and the will of the people, to work, in all sincerity and co-operation, with a Speaker of Parliament from another party.”
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has pledged to work with the newly elected Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to advance the peace, progress and prosperity of Ghana.
Congratulating Bagbin on his feat of becoming Speaker of the eighth parliament, the president said consensus has become crucial, considering that this is the first time a sitting president will be working with a Speaker from a different party.
“Together, you and I will be charting new territory in the governance and politics of the Fourth Republic, for this is the first time in the life of this republic that a president from one party will be obliged, by the exigencies of the moment and the will of the people, to work, in all sincerity and co-operation, with a Speaker of Parliament from another party,” Akufo-Addo said in his inaugural speech.
President Akufo-Addo added: “I am confident that both of us will be guided in our relationship by the supreme interest of our people in ensuring good governance in the ordering of the affairs of state.
“I want to assure you of my whole-hearted determination to work with you to advance the peace, progress and prosperity of the Ghanaian people. Once again, many congratulations to you and the re-elected and new Members of Parliament.”
Spoiled ballot
The former MP for Nadowli Kaleo won a hard-fought secret ballot in Parliament against the immediate past Speaker, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye.
He secured 138 votes against his predecessor’s 136, and there was one spoiled ballot .
The House also elected the MP for Bekwai, Joseph Osei-Owusu, as the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, with the position of Second Deputy Speaker going to Andrew Asiamah Amoako, the independent MP for Fomena.
New ways of working
During his State of the Nation Address on Tuesday (5 January), President Akufo-Addo challenged MPs to devise new ways of working together in the interest of Ghana.
“The good people of Ghana have spoken. They have given Parliament almost equal strength on both sides of the House. We have no choice but to work with the consequences of the desires of the people.
“The House would have to be more accommodating of each other’s views and probably devise new ways of conducting its affairs in the interest of the good governance of our people,” he said.
The president-elect expressed “gratitude to God and the electorate for a clear mandate” to continue with the good policies rolled out by his government over the past four years.
“I am thankful to the Ghanaian people and to the Almighty that I have been given a clear mandate to govern the country for four more years, and thereby given the opportunity to complete tasks, consolidate some of the far-reaching measures we have introduced, and initiate further changes and adjustments to policies and practices,” he said.
Voice of the people
“The constitution demands that we go to the people after four years to ask for a mandate, and we must listen to the voice of the people.”
President Akufo-Addo told the MPs that the 7 December presidential and parliamentary elections were conducted in a free and fair manner.
“I said during the election campaign that it is my firm and passionate view that I should only be a president in a fairly conducted election, which I believe in all sincerity the election of 7 December was,” Akufo-Addo said.
Fred Dzakpata
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