GIMPA law lecturer raises constitutional concerns over Akufo-Addo's handling of anti-LGBTQ+ bill

Ghanaian

Justice Srem-Sai, a Senior Lecturer at the GIMPA Law Faculty, has expressed reservations regarding President Akufo-Addo's approach to the Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, commonly referred to as the anti-LGBTQ+ bill.

Srem-Sai argues that the President's decision to postpone assenting to the bill contradicts constitutional principles.

President Akufo-Addo recently stated during an interaction with members of

Read full articlethe Diplomatic Corps that he would await the Supreme Court's ruling on the bill before making a decision on whether to sign it into law.

In an interview with Citi News, Justice Srem-Sai asserts that the Constitution does not grant the President the discretion to determine the timing of assenting to a bill.

He points out specific timelines outlined in the Constitution, noting that within seven days of receiving a bill from the Speaker of Parliament, the President must communicate whether he intends to veto it.

"Within the initial seven days following the receipt of the bill from the Speaker of Parliament, the President is obligated to indicate to the Speaker if he plans to veto the bill. Subsequently, within another fourteen days, he is mandated to express any reservations he may have regarding certain provisions and explain why he intends to veto the bill. According to the law, there are provisions for the bill to be sent to the Council of State, and within all these timelines, there is no room for the President to exercise discretion by stating that he is waiting for other developments before vetoing the bill."

"Our argument is that the President's inclination would essentially contravene constitutional provisions because the constitution does not empower him to determine when he should act on a bill."