The Minority in Parliament has rejected the approval of Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie as the next Chief Justice of Ghana, insisting that a secret ballot be conducted to formally register their opposition.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, November 13, during the debate on the Appointments Committee’s report following Justice Baffoe-Bonnie’s vetting, the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, reiterated the caucus’s firm stance against the nomination.
“Mr. Speaker, we maintain our position to this nomination, and we reject same. We are going to demand a secret ballot to reject this. We are going to demand a secret ballot to vote to let Hansard record our opposition,” he declared.
He further noted that some Members of Parliament may hold independent views and would prefer to freely express them through a secret ballot rather than a voice vote.
“Mr. Speaker, we know that there are members who have their own views and would want to exercise their rights when there’s a secret ballot. We, the Minority, are going to invoke that so that we take a secret ballot to register our dissent on this matter,” he added.
The Minority’s position comes despite the Appointments Committee’s majority decision recommending Justice Baffoe-Bonnie’s approval after his vetting earlier in the week.
The Committee cited his “deep knowledge of the law, judicial ethics,” and commitment to constitutional values as reasons for endorsement.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie, who currently serves as the Acting Chief Justice, was nominated by President John Mahama to succeed Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
