Ghana’s Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that Speaker Alban Bagbin’s declaration of four parliamentary seats as vacant was unconstitutional, thereby restoring the ruling New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) slim majority in parliament just weeks before the country’s December 7 election.

Last month, two NPP members of parliament and one from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) announced their intent to run as independents, while an independent MP joined the NPP. In response, Bagbin declared their seats vacant, citing a constitutional ban on defection. This decision shifted the majority to the NDC, giving it 136 seats to the NPP’s 135. The parliament was then indefinitely adjourned.

However, the Supreme Court’s ruling reversed this decision, re-establishing the NPP’s slim parliamentary majority with 138 seats, including one independent MP who supports the ruling party, against the NDC’s 137 seats. Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo delivered the court’s 5-2 majority ruling, stating that the full reasons for the decision would be filed later.

The verdict comes at a critical time as Ghana prepares for simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections, marking its ninth consecutive election since returning to multi-party democracy in 1992. Ghana has been recognized for its stable, peaceful elections over the past two decades. However, allegations of irregularities in this year’s voter roll have raised concerns. In September, the NDC led nationwide protests, demanding an audit of the voter list, alleging thousands of unauthorized transfers and name removals.

With President Nana Akufo-Addo stepping down after his second term, former President John Dramani Mahama of the NDC will challenge NPP candidate and Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia in the presidential race. The electoral atmosphere has become tense, with the U.S. State Department warning last month that it would restrict visas for individuals found to be undermining Ghana’s democracy.

As election day approaches, both domestic and international observers are closely watching Ghana’s political landscape, hoping the nation will continue its tradition of peaceful and fair elections.