Here are the points you need to state any six ways the President relates to parliament under the 1992 Fourth Republican Constitution of Ghana.
Please note
Even though the question appears to focus on Ghana, you can apply it to your country’s situation (Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, The Gambia etc) and use the same points to answer a similar question related to any country that operates a system similar to Ghana’s.
The 1992 constitution like all others before it provides for an executive president and a unicameral legislature. The president relates to parliament in the following ways:
1. The president assents to bills passed by parliament before they become law.
2. Presidential nominees for appointment as ministers of state are vetted by parliament to determine their suitability or otherwise for the particular position
3. The president at the beginning of each parliamentary session delivers to parliament a State of the Nation address.
4. The president sings treaties, agreements and conventions on behalf of Ghana, subject to parliamentary approval.
5. As commander-in-chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, he has the power to deploy the Armed Forces of the Nation to engage in any internal or external operation. However, he cannot do this without seeking parliamentary approval.
6. The president can be impeached by parliament if he violates any part of the constitution.
7. The president, through the Minister of Finance, submits the government’s annual budget to parliament for scrutiny, debate and approval.
8. The president swears an oath of allegiance before parliament during his inauguration. This is administered by the Chief Justice to give legality to his office.
9. The president must inform parliament, through the Speaker, any time he is travelling out of the country.
10. The president must seek and obtain parliamentary approval for all major policies before he proceeds to implement them.
Thank you.
