The Member of Parliament for Keta Constituency, Kwame Dzudzorli Gakpey, has justified the actions of MPs who kicked ballot boxes during the election of a speaker by stating that the move was to defend the Constitution of Ghana.

Per his logic, some MPs were going contrary to the provisions on secret balloting outlined in the Constitution of Ghana. Hence, they [NDC MPs] could not look on for such actions to continue.

Detailing what occurred during the election of the Speaker, he told Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show: “Our Standing Order 9 and article 104 of the 1992 constitution shows that the voting was supposed to come in secret balloting. That is where the issue is. Even in general elections, we practice secret balloting.

But when we started voting, some were displaying their votes to the chief whip before putting it in the box. Is that how it works? So we didn’t agree with what was happening because at that moment we had to defend the constitution of Ghana. This is why some of our leaders stopped the process and that is why they kicked the boxes and all that. This is because at the end of the day the right thing must prevail and the secret balloting must be complied with based on the Standing Order 9 and the 1992 constitution article 104”.

Background

Just when the MPs-elect were about to start casting their ballots to elect a Speaker for the inauguration of the 8th Parliament, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka and John Abdulai Jinapor were seen rushing to where the voting booth and ballot box were and removing it from its place.

The Marshall of Parliament was able to lift the ballot box to safety. However, Jinapor, the Yapei-Kusawgu MP-elect kicked the paper-box voting booth, thereby disassembling it.

Jinapor’s action was in protest at how some NPP MPs were breaching the ‘secret ballot’ protocol.