Print Options

(1) There is hereby established for each Region of Ghana a Regional House of Chiefs.

(2) Each Regional House of Chiefs shall consist of such members as may be specified in relation thereto by legislative instrument made by the President acting in consultation with the Prime Minister.

(3) There shall be a President of each Regional House of Chiefs who shall,

(a) be the Head of that House,

(b) in the case of the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs, be the Asantehene, and

(c) in the case of any other Regional House of Chiefs, be a chief elected in the manner specified by an instrument made under subsection (2) of this section.

(4) There shall also be a Vice-President of each such House who shall be a chief elected by the members of that House from their number and shall act as Head of that House in the absence of the President and shall perform the functions of the President in the absence of the President.

(5) A President other than the President of the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs and a Vice-President shall hold office for three years and shall be eligible for re-election so however that no person shall be eligible for election as President for more than two terms in succession.

(6) Where the seat of a member of a Regional House of Chiefs becomes vacant and his successor is required by an instrument made under subsection (2) of this section to be drawn from a specified group of Chiefs-

(a) the Registrar of the said House shall notify the Electoral Commissioner in writing of the occurrence of the vacancy within fourteen days of such occurrence;

(b) a meeting of the group shall be convened by the Electoral Commissioner by a notice published in the Local Government Bulletin;

(c) subject to the following subsection, the meeting shall proceed to the election of a new member, who shall be taken to be elected if he secures a simple majority of the votes cast;

(d) the Electoral Commissioner shall cause to be published in the Local Government Bulletin notice of the result of the election which notice shall be signed by him or any public officer authorised by him in writing.

(7) An election shall not be held under subsection (6) of this section if less than one-half of the chiefs in the group are present and where-

(a) an insufficient number of chiefs is present, or

(b) no chief obtains a majority of votes cast, the new member shall be nominated by the Regional House of Chiefs from among the chiefs in the group to which the election relates.

(8) A new member elected or nominated under subsection (6) or (7) of this section shall hold office for two years and shall then vacate his seat and any such member vacating his seat shall be eligible to fill the vacancy.