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Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Ocquaye.
The Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Ocquaye, has said that there will be no by-elections in the Mfantseman constituency despite the death of MP, Ekow Quansah Hayford.
Addressing the House on Wednesday, First Vice President Joe Osei Owusu explained that the constitution is categorical that if a deputy vacates his seat in less than three months for the next election, a new one is not elected.
“Any vacancy that occurs after September 7 would not trigger a by-election and I think it is important that all discussions recognize this position going forward,” he said.
In addition, he noted that Parliament will notify the Electoral Commission since the presentation of candidacies was closed when the deputy was assassinated.
The president added that it is to prevent the EC from placing Quansah Hayford as the 2020 parliamentary candidate.
“This is a critical role for the House to play and I firmly believe that the secretary has done his job.”
Then he continued: The rest is for us to make sure that the party whose candidate has suffered this disappearance takes the appropriate legal measures to ensure that a replacement for death is found ”.
The Spokesman for his part warned the media and parliamentarians to be aware of the legal requirement of the situation so as not to sell falsehoods.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has already decided on Ophelia Hayford to succeed her murdered husband Ekow Quansah Hayford as a parliamentary candidate for the Mfantseman constituency.
According to sources, the party sent a letter to the Electoral Commission on Monday invoking portions of CI 127 to allow a 10-day extension of the nomination period within which it would present its candidacy for the post of Mfantseman.
The provision establishes: “When at the close of the nomination, but before the election, one of the candidates dies, an additional period of 10 days will be allowed for the nominations.”
