The size and composition of Ghana’s Parliament could undergo major changes after government accepted a proposal to introduce a cap on the number of Members of Parliament.
Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, announced that the government has accepted the recommendation of the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) to limit the total number of MPs to a maximum of 300.
Presenting the government’s White Paper on the CRC recommendations on Thursday, July 30, Dr Ayine said the proposal is aimed at reducing costs while creating more opportunities for groups that have traditionally been underrepresented in Parliament.
Under the proposed arrangement, the current 276 constituency-based Members of Parliament will remain, while an additional 24 seats will be introduced through a proportional representation system.
He explained that the additional seats will be allocated to increase the participation of women, persons with disabilities (PWDs) and young people in Ghana’s legislature.
“The government has accepted that the size of Parliament be capped and we propose a ceiling of 300 members,” Dr Ayine said.
According to him, the proportional representation component will ensure that Parliament becomes more inclusive without abandoning the existing constituency-based electoral system.
“Capping Parliament saves cost and the reserve element opens the doors of our legislature wider to those that our politics have historically kept outside,” he added.
Dr Ayine said an independent study will be conducted to determine the design and implementation of the proportional representation system.
The proposal forms part of broader constitutional reforms being considered by government to strengthen Ghana’s democratic institutions and improve governance.
