Story: Yaw Takyi

Member of Parliament (MP) for Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu (Esq), is advocating for the implementation of an electronic voting system in the legislative chamber.

Sosu believes that incorporating e-voting systems in Parliament will facilitate prompt decision-making on the floor and improve the accessibility of voting records for various MPs on specific Bills, legislations, and subjects, similar to practices in other jurisdictions.

According to Sosu, this technological advancement will significantly contribute to the well-being of the House members.

He emphasized the need for Parliament as an institution to review its internal mechanisms and procedures to ensure the swift passage and resolution of critical Bills and businesses.

“The time has come for Parliament as an institution to review its internal mechanisms and procedures to ensure speedy passage and resolution of critical Bills and businesses on the floor of the House, and ensure readily available data on records of votes of each MP”.

“This will also guarantee improved health and wellbeing of members, especially aged members, and ensure members are decorous during decision-making at all times.”

Parliament has historically devoted excessive hours to the consideration of Bills and legislations on the floor, with recent debates on the contentious e-levy bill serving as a vivid example.

Sosu further explained that an e-voting system would shed light on the functioning of Members of Parliament, enabling constituents to better understand and appreciate the positions and perspectives of their elected representatives on various subjects.

These remarks were made by the Madina MP during a stakeholders dialogue session, aimed at promoting participatory democracy and reviewing his performance over the past two years.