Politics

If 2020 Elections Don’t Come Off, Akufo-Addo Can’t Continue As President – Majority Leader

Ghanaian majority leader of parliament Mr Kyei-Mensah Bonsu has revealed that if 2020 elections don’t come off, president Akufo-Addo can’t continue as the first gentleman of the nation.

He made this statement while addressing the house on the briefings of the business statement. He stated that although there is no clear cut in the provision of the constitution as to who becomes president in the unforeseen circumstances causing the EC not to hold elections. However president Nana Akufo-Addo has already hinted that he will not stay on after his mandatory term.

He disclosed that the president in his previous engagements did not have any intentions of staying on as president after January 6, 2020 if the EC fails to hold presidential and parliamentary elections due to the coronavirus which has no cure in sight.

“The president does not intend to stay one day beyond the constitutional mandate given to him up to the midnight of 6, January 2020 and the president has urged that whatever must be done in the current circumstances must be done”, Mr Kyei-Mensah Bonsu said.

Mr Kyei-Mensah Bonsu however stressed that regardless of whatever happens with the EC, the president was bent on stepping down once his tenure was over and had already assured Ghanaians to that effect .

“So Mr. Speaker, we all have to look to the Electoral Commission to put in the required measures for the conduction of the elections”, he said.

“Because the Constitution we all do recognise is a bit ambivalent beyond January 7, 2021 when elections cannot be conducted,” he said, claiming that the Constitution was also not clear who should be the President in times of unforeseen circumstances.

“There is a bit of ambivalence and some lacuna except to say that for Parliament in the event of any emergency, provision is made expressly under the Constitution to have the life of Parliament extended by one year and in any event not more than four years”.

“In the 12 months, who becomes the head of state? Is it Speaker in the absence of the President or the Vice President? That is a bit troubling to us as a nation”, he added.

However the Graphic reports that the legislator pointed out that in any event, the Constitution provided that when the Speaker acted as the President in the absence of a President or a Vice President, elections must be conducted within three months to elect a President.

Wyse Promotions

Journalist and reporter at wysepromotions.com

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