The Minority in Parliament has described the approval of the 2022 budget by the Majority side with the First Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei Owusu as unconstitutional.
He said the House proceeding had only 137 members of parliament present and the First Deputy Speaker had no business to retain his original status while presiding.
Addressing a press conference, Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu said the Minority engaged in a constitutional charade.
He cited Article 104 of the Constitution and Order 109 (2) of the Standing Orders of Parliament to argue his case that the Speaker shall have neither an original nor a casting vote and if upon any question before the House the votes are equally divided the motion shall be lost.
He said the Order also posits that a Deputy or any other Member presiding shall not retain his original vote while presiding.
He has also warned that the Minority will from tomorrow demand a headcount on all issues put before the House.
The Majority in Parliament has approved the budget statement for 2022 barely minutes after rescinding the decision to reject the 2022 Budget without Minority in the Chamber.
The First Deputy Speaker who sat in for the Speaker said on Tuesday that “The House has adopted the Financial statement and approved the budget statement for the ensuring year ending 31st December 2021.”
“This hose has approved the budget and economic statement,” he stressed.
The Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu had asked him to set aside the purported rejection of the 2022 budget statement.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu argued that the rejection of the budget “did not meet the test established under Article 104,” because Parliament did not have the required numbers to be present in the chamber for purposes of taking decisions.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
