RE: Binbag in Barbados9 Oct 2025 09:25
- General Quorum (Article 102): A quorum of Parliament, apart from the person presiding (Speaker or Deputy Speaker), shall be one-third of all the members of Parliament.
Parliament currently has 275 members, so this equates to approximately 92 members (plus the presiding officer) to conduct business. If the quorum falls below this, proceedings cannot continue until it is restored.
- Quorum for Voting/Decisions (Article 104(1)): Matters in Parliament are determined by the votes of the majority of members present and voting, with at least half of all the members of Parliament present.
This applies to formal votes, including passing bills or resolutions (except where a supermajority is required, e.g., two-thirds for constitutional amendments under Article 289). For the current 275 members, this means at least 138 members must be present for a vote to be valid. The Supreme Court of Ghana has ruled (in Justice Abdulai v Attorney-General, 2022) that a presiding Deputy Speaker counts toward this voting quorum and can participate in votes.