CRC: Government to cap Parliament at 300 MPs

The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has announced that the government has accepted a proposal to place a constitutional cap on the size of Parliament, with the total number of Members of Parliament not expected to exceed 300.

The proposal forms part of the government’s White Paper on the recommendations of the Constitutional Review Committee, which seeks to implement a number of reforms aimed at strengthening Ghana’s democratic institutions, improving governance and making the country’s political system more inclusive.

Presenting the White Paper on Thursday, July 30, Dr. Ayine explained that the proposed arrangement would retain the current constituency-based electoral system while introducing a proportional representation component to ensure greater participation of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented in Parliament.

Under the proposal, 276 Members of Parliament will continue to be elected through the existing constituency-based elections, while the remaining 24 seats will be allocated through a proportional representation mechanism designed to increase the representation of women, persons with disabilities (PWDs) and young people.

“The government has accepted that the size of Parliament be capped and we propose a ceiling of 300 members. The current membership of Parliament is 276 and so these will be elected directly in constituency elections like we already have and the remaining 24 will be elected or selected through proportional representation among women, persons with disabilities and the youth.

“An independent study will be commissioned into the design of the proportional representation element. Capping Parliament saves cost and the reserve element opens the doors of our legislature wider to those that our politics have historically kept outside.”