ACCRA, Ghana — In a significant development preceding the upcoming elections on December 7, Ghana’s Supreme Court has reinstated the ruling party’s control in parliament, declaring the Speaker’s earlier announcement of four vacant parliamentary seats as unconstitutional.

Recently, two lawmakers from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and one from the principal opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) decided to contest as independent candidates. Additionally, one independent candidate agreed to align with the NPP. In reaction to these changes, Speaker Alban Bagbin pronounced the affected seats as vacant, citing constitutional rules against MPs switching parties. Following this pronouncement, parliamentary sessions were indefinitely halted.

This declaration momentarily shifted the balance of power in parliament, giving the NDC a slim lead with 137 seats over the outgoing President Nana Akufo-Addo’s NPP, which held 135 seats. However, with the Supreme Court’s ruling, the NPP has regained its narrow majority of 138 seats, backed by one independent member who supports them, as opposed to the NDC’s 137 seats.

Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo communicated the court’s verdict during a televised session, revealing a majority opinion of 5:2, while indicating that more detailed explanations for the ruling would be released later.

The upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections will proceed simultaneously, marking the ninth consecutive national election in Ghana since the nation adopted multi-party democracy in 1992. Notably, Ghana has been recognized for conducting peaceful and credible elections for nearly 20 years; however, recent claims of irregularities on the voter roll have raised eyebrows regarding democratic integrity.

In September, the NDC organized protests nationwide, calling for an audit of the voter registration process, alleging the presence of numerous unauthorized name transfers and deletions.

President Akufo-Addo will not seek re-election this year, as he concludes his second and final four-year term. In a heated contest, former President John Dramani Mahama of the NDC, who previously lost in the 2016 and 2020 elections, will challenge the current Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia of the NPP during this electoral event.

Amidst rising electoral tensions, the U.S. State Department recently issued a warning to Ghana, indicating that it may impose visa restrictions on individuals undermining the democratic processes as the vote approaches.