https://en.sputniknews.africa/20240321/ghana-presidents-refusal-to-consider-anti-lgbt-law-goes-against-constitution-parliament-says-1065662837.html
Ghana President's Refusal to Consider Anti-LGBT Law Goes Against Constitution, Parliament Says
Ghana President's Refusal to Consider Anti-LGBT Law Goes Against Constitution, Parliament Says
Sputnik Africa
The Ghanaian Parliament said that it had received a communication from the president asking it not to consider the bill until a legal challenge to the new law... 21.03.2024, Sputnik Africa
2024-03-21T13:02+0100
2024-03-21T13:02+0100
2024-03-21T13:29+0100
sub-saharan africa
ghana
west africa
nana akufo-addo
uganda
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anti-lgbt
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Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo's refusal to consider an anti-LGBT* bill is not supported by the constitutional provisions that govern the West African country's legislative process, Ghana's Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has said.According to the speaker, the president has the constitutional power to either approve or disapprove the bill and must give his assent within seven days of the bill's submission or seek the advice of the Council of State.In addition, the speaker called the absence of a presidential decision "undermining the spirit of cooperative governance and mutual respect for the arms of government."On Tuesday, President Akufo-Addo said he would wait on the anti-LGBT bill passed by Parliament in February, adding that the bill would be challenged in the Supreme Court because a citizen had challenged its constitutionality.In late February, Ghana's parliament passed a bill that criminalizes people who identify as LGBT* and those who advocate for LGBT rights. Those who have sex with people of the same sex will face five years in prison, up from three years under previous legislation.Besides, the "propaganda" of LGBT rights and the financing of relevant activities could be punished with three to five years in jail under the bill.Ghana's finance ministry later warned that the president's signing of the bill could cost the country $3.8 billion in financing from international banks over the next five to six years.Last May, another African country, Uganda, passed an anti-LGBT law that carries the death penalty in some cases and makes "homosexual propaganda" punishable by 20 years in prison.Since the president signed a law, Uganda has been criticized by Western countries and organizations. The US, for instance, announced several rounds of visa restrictions for Ugandan officials involved in the enforcement of the law.* The "LGBT movement" is classified as extremist by the Russian authorities and is banned in Russia.
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ghana, west africa, nana akufo-addo, uganda, lgbt rights, anti-lgbt, parliament
ghana, west africa, nana akufo-addo, uganda, lgbt rights, anti-lgbt, parliament
Ghana President's Refusal to Consider Anti-LGBT Law Goes Against Constitution, Parliament Says
13:02 21.03.2024 (Updated: 13:29 21.03.2024) The Ghanaian Parliament said that it had received a communication from the president asking it not to consider the bill until a legal challenge to the new law is resolved in the country's highest court.
Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo's refusal to consider an anti-LGBT* bill is not supported by the constitutional provisions that govern the West African country's legislative process, Ghana's Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has said.
According to the speaker, the president has the constitutional power to either approve or disapprove the bill and must give his assent within seven days of the bill's submission or seek the advice of the Council of State.
"The refusal to even accept the bill for consideration falls outside the legal bounds established by our constitutional framework. It is incumbent upon the President to accept the bill and take the necessary action within the prescribed constitutional limits, whether that action is assent, refusal, or referral to the Council of State for advice," Bagbin said.
In addition, the speaker called the absence of a presidential decision "undermining the spirit of cooperative governance and mutual respect for the arms of government."
On Tuesday, President Akufo-Addo said he would wait on the anti-LGBT bill
passed by Parliament in February, adding that the bill would be challenged in the Supreme Court because a citizen had challenged its constitutionality.
In late February, Ghana's parliament passed a bill that criminalizes people who identify as LGBT* and those who advocate for LGBT rights. Those who have sex with people of the same sex will face five years in prison, up from three years under previous legislation.
Besides, the "propaganda" of
LGBT rights and the financing of relevant activities could be punished with three to five years in jail under the bill.
Ghana's finance ministry later
warned that the president's signing of the bill could cost the country $3.8 billion in financing from international banks over the next five to six years.
Last May, another African country, Uganda, passed an anti-LGBT law that carries the death penalty in some cases and makes "homosexual propaganda" punishable by 20 years in prison.
Since the president signed a law, Uganda has been criticized by Western countries and organizations. The US, for instance,
announced several rounds of visa restrictions for Ugandan officials involved in the enforcement of the law.
* The "LGBT movement" is classified as extremist by the Russian authorities and is banned in Russia.
