Ghana's Supreme Court restores ruling party's majority in parliament ahead of elections

Ghana’s Supreme Court has ruled that the parliamentary speaker's declaration of four seats as vacant was unconstitutional. This decision restores the ruling New Patriotic Party's (NPP) majority in parliament ahead of the Dec. 7 elections. Previously, the speaker's declaration had shifted the majority to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC). The Supreme Court's ruling gives the NPP 138 seats, including one independent ally, compared to the NDC's 137. The upcoming elections will be the ninth since Ghana returned to multi-party democracy in 1992. Concerns about voter roll irregularities have emerged, prompting protests from the NDC.