The Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has suspended four lawmakers for two weeks after a violent clash broke out during a ministerial screening session on Thursday.
The suspended lawmakers—Rockson Dafeamakpor, Frank Annor-Dompreh, Alhassan Tampuuli, and Jerry Shai—were penalized on Friday for what the Speaker described as a “gross affront to the dignity of Parliament and a blatant contempt of the House.”
The fight started during the vetting of ministerial nominees from the ruling National Democratic Congress.
Opposition lawmakers from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) accused the vetting committee of rushing the process, while NDC members claimed the opposition was deliberately delaying the session with long questioning.
Tensions escalated when NPP’s leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, questioned Samuel George, the nominee for Communications Minister, for over five hours.
Frustration grew among committee members, leading to a brawl where furniture was overturned, microphones were destroyed, and lawmakers exchanged blows.
Speaker Bagbin condemned the violence, stating that four lawmakers would face a two-week suspension for their actions.
He further announced that a special seven-member committee had been set up to investigate the incident, with a report expected within 10 days.
Additionally, lawmakers responsible for damaging parliamentary property will have the cost of repairs deducted from their allowances.
This is the third time in four years that Ghanaian lawmakers have engaged in physical fights during parliamentary proceedings.
Similar incidents occurred in 2021, first during the election of a new Speaker and later during debates on the electronic transaction levy bill.
