Vacant seats case: The speaker was clearly wrong – Freddie Blay

Private legal practitioner and former NPP Chairman Freddie Blay has criticized Speaker Alban Bagbin's ruling declaring parliamentary seats vacant, labeling it as erroneous.

Blay referenced the Supreme Court’s November 14 judgment, which deemed the Speaker’s action unconstitutional.

The court clarified that MPs vacate their seats only if they switch political affiliations while remaining in Parliament.

It added that Articles 97(1)(g) and (h) of the Constitution apply only to the current parliamentary term, excluding scenarios like re-election under a new party.

Blay, speaking on TV3’s Agenda show, stated, “The ruling confirms what some of us have held all along—that the Speaker was wrong.”

The judgment arose from a suit filed by Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, challenging Bagbin’s earlier declaration.