The Dean of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) Law School, Prof Kofi Abotsi, has highlighted the expectations from the 9th Parliament of the Fourth Republic while indicating that the 8th Parliament performed better than previous ones despite its challenges.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Monday, January 6, Prof Abotsi stated that a dramatic shift was not anticipated in the way Parliament has operated over time despite the close numbers between the two major parties.

“The announcement of the constitution of Parliament itself by the election of the Speaker, ushered in what was to come. Did the eighth Parliament play that role? I wasn’t expecting a dramatic shift from how Parliament has always operated. Although I expected that because of the closeness of the numbers involved, we were going to experience something of a different Parliament,” he noted.

He also added that institutions do not change overnight, and thus, an entrenched institutional culture had existed for a long time.

Prof Abotsi stated, “I knew that we were not necessarily going to see a dramatic shift in the way things were done. In any case, we haven’t had the justifications for that. The only reason I knew that we were going to experience something of an interesting Parliament was how close the numbers were.”

He further reflected on some of the intriguing matters that occurred in the eighth Parliament, describing them as genuinely dramatic and melodramatic moments.

Prof Abotsi commended the Speaker for his mandatory delivery of constitutional duties during the eighth Parliament.

“In fact, in many ways, the Speaker made the difference in terms of being very strong in his interpretation of the rules, in terms of being very assertive against core differences with the government, including the judiciary, and in terms of the general leadership of Parliament,” he asserted.

He praised the overall performance of the soon-to-be-dissolved Parliament, asserting it was better compared to previous Parliaments.

“So in terms of performance overall, Parliament has done, in my opinion, much better than many Parliaments in the past, in spite of the chaos, in spite of the constitution that characterised their operations even to the very end of their term. It has performed well in terms of highlighting issues, generally standing up to other institutions, and generally asserting its autonomy and the mandate which it has established. It has performed much better than many of its counterparts in the past,” he opined.

Meanwhile, the eighth Parliament is set to be dissolved today Monday, January 6.

Read also: Ghana’s 8th Parliament dissolves today to make way for 9th Parliament