The Deputy Attorney General, Alfred Tuah-Yeboah, has confirmed that the soon-to-be-created Guan Constituency will be represented in Parliament after the 2024 elections.
While residents will be able to participate in the upcoming District Level Elections (DLEs), they will not have an MP until 2025.
This according to the Deputy Attorney General is due to the constitutional restriction against creating new constituencies during a sitting Parliament’s term.
“It’s clear that SALL will have a constituency. The CI has been prepared and submitted for Parliamentary approval. While residents can vote in the DLEs, they will need to wait until December 2024 to elect their MP,” Mr Tuah-Yeboah explained in an interview on Face to Face on Citi TV on Tuesday.
He further clarified the constitutional constraint: “During a Parliament’s lifetime, new constituencies can’t be created. This means that while the 8th Parliament exists, new members cannot join. However, if an MP resigns or passes away, a bye-election can be held.”
Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission (EC) announced that DLEs will be held in the Jasikan and Guan Districts on December 19, 2023.
This follows the passage of a Constitutional Instrument (CI) enabling the EC to conduct the exercise in these districts.
Nominations for the November DLEs were not received in these districts due to the pending CI.