The Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has suspended proceedings in the House for 30 minutes awaiting the presence of the Majority side in the main chamber.
Members of Parliament from the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) have failed to show up for today’s sittings, where the House is expected to conclude the debate on the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the government for the year ending 31st December 2022.
When the Speaker entered the Chamber on Friday, November 26, 2021, the Minority MPs had filled the House, but the Majority side of the aisle was completely empty.
The Speaker decided to suspend sitting after the Deputy Minority Whip, Ibrahim Ahmed, raised the issue of the absence of the Majority Leadership in the House even though they were together in a meeting within the precincts of Parliament.
The Speaker informed the House that he had heard that MPs on the Majority side were in a Caucus meeting, even though he had not been formally communicated to.
Before this, the Minority in Parliament expressed displeasure with the delay in the commencement of the conclusion of the budget debate.
It is unclear when the debate will start, hours after the scheduled commencement.
The Majority Caucus is also of the view that comments from the Minority should be treated with the contempt it deserves.
