The Ashanti Region’s Kumawu parliamentary seat has been declared vacant by Speaker of the Parliament Alban Bagbin, and a by-election is scheduled to be held by the Electoral Commission (EC) within 30 days.
As required by Article 112(5) of the 1992 Constitution, the seat has been declared vacant following the passing of the district’s Member of Parliament (MP), Philip Atta Basoah, on March 27, 2023.
According to a clause in the constitution, “If a vacancy occurs in Parliament, the Clerk of Parliament shall notify the Electoral Commission in writing within seven days after the vacancy happened, and a by-election shall be held within thirty days after the vacancy occurred.”
On Friday, the Speaker of the House ordered the Electoral Commission to start the constitutional requirements necessary to hold a bye-election in the region.
“Acting on your behalf and direct instructions to the Clerk of Parliament, we formally communicated to the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of the unfortunate departure of our colleague which has led to the occurrence of a vacancy in the House,” the Speaker said.
“I have asked the Clerk to write to the Electoral Commission of the unfortunate departure of our colleague which has led to the occurrence of a vacancy in the House,” he added.
