BEVERLY HILLS, January 07, (THEWILL) – Drama erupted at the Ghanaian parliament on Wednesday as newly-elected lawmakers engaged in a scuffle following a disagreement on the election of a new speaker.
The speaker was to be elected by secret ballot, but MPs from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) party kept displaying their marked ballot papers, to the displeasure of opposition MPs.
At some point, a ruling party MP snatched the ballot papers while voting was still underway, sparking a confrontation.
Armed police and troops temporarily stormed into the chambers to restore calm.
The parliament is made up of 137 MPs each from both the opposition and the ruling party, and one independent MP.
A court had issued an order barring one opposition MP from voting for the speaker pending the determination of a challenge on his election. But he was somehow allowed to cast a vote.
The opposition has described last December’s general election as flawed and has filed a challenge at the Supreme Court, seeking annulment of the presidential election.
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