President John Mahama has stated that he will sign the controversial anti-LGBTQ bill into law if it is passed by Parliament and sent to his office.
He made the declaration on Tuesday, November 18, at Jubilee House, during a courtesy visit by the Christian Council of Ghana.
“I believe that we have no questions or equivocations about what we believe. I believe that we are completely aligned with the Christian Council in terms of your belief. We agree with the Speaker to relay the bill and let Parliament debate it.
“And if there are any amendments or adjustments that need to be made, if the people’s representatives in Parliament endorse the bill, vote on it, and pass it, and it comes to me as president, I will sign it,” President Mahama said.
The remarks follow a ruling by Speaker Alban Bagbin on October 28, clarifying that the anti-LGBTQ bill must be reintroduced in the current Parliament after it expired at the end of the 8th Parliament.
The clarification came after a week of debate, during which Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga argued that the bill had already been passed and did not need to be reintroduced.
The Speaker disagreed, noting that all pending business from the dissolved 8th Parliament had ceased.
“The eighth Parliament is history. So are all the businesses that were pending in the eighth Parliament. They all ended with the eighth Parliament, and so we have a new Parliament, the ninth Parliament, and therefore what was pending there came to an end and has to be reintroduced,” he said.
The bill has now returned to Parliament, this time as a private member’s bill, reintroduced by Ningo-Prampram MP Sam George and several colleagues, not by the executive.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express, the Communications Minister said he is fulfilling his promise to Ghanaians and to his constituents.
- Read also: ‘We’ve reintroduced anti-LGBTQ bill’ – Sam George vows fidelity to Ghanaian Family Values
“Four weeks and a few days ago, together with some colleagues, we reintroduced the bill as a private member’s bill,” he said.
“I have kept my commitment to the people of Ghana to reintroduce this bill.”
He added that while President Mahama had expressed a preference for the government itself to reintroduce the legislation, his duty to his constituents took priority.
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