Ghana needs 2nd Chamber, must lean towards parly system - Griffiths

An America Law Professor has said Ghana should consider having a second chamber of Parliament and also shifting more towards a parliamentary than a presidential system of governance.

Prof John Griffiths, formerly of the University of Ghana law faculty believes a full parliamentary system offers an opportunity for the Legislature to properly check the Executive.

“Most parliamentary systems have a second house, it might be interesting for Ghana to consider such a system, even the British have a second house. The second house can be elected regionally, possibly also by indirect elections…that too I think will help reduce at least the stranglehold of two national parties,” he said Thursday at a public forum organised by the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG) on the “role of constitutional reforms in consolidating peace, stability and national cohesion”.

He nonetheless admits that there is an inherent danger in the full parliamentary system because it could plunge the country into a gridlock between the President and Parliament, but points out that such a situation is highly unlikely since Ghana is practising multi-party democracy.

Ghana is currently practising a mixed system of the parliamentary and presidential system.

There have been intermittent debates about the need for a second Chamber in the House of Parliament.

The merits and demerits of a parliamentary vis-à-vis a presidential system have also been widely debated in the country.



Source: Ghana/StarrFMonline.com/103.5fm