By Kapini Atafori
Ghana’s 2022 budget has been rejected by a vote of no confidence by the Minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) after the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Majority Group walked out of the Chamber over disagreement on a voice vote.
The Minority vote was by a head count, and all the Members of Parliament (MP) present balloted against the approval of the budget of the NPP government.
The Majority Group walked out because Hon. Alexander Afenyo-Markin, Deputy Majority Leader, disagreed with Rt. Hon. Bagbin that ‘No’ won the voice vote on the request by Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, the Minister for Finance, to withdraw the Electronic Levy (E-Levy) for consultation.
Hon. Afenyo-Markin called for vote by division to resolve the issue, and the Speaker obliged him that process. But before the process could begin, Rt. Hon. Bagbin asked non-MP Ministers to vacate the Chamber. The Deputy Majority Leader did not accept Rt. Hon. Bagbin’s order, arguing that the Ministers could stay in but could not take part in the vote by division.
Then suddenly, an NPP MP asked the Speaker to order Mr Johnson Asiedu-Nketia, the General Secretary of the opposition NDC, who was sitting in the public gallery, out of the House. When the Speaker ignored the MP’s request and Mr. Asiedu-Nketia stayed put in the public gallery, the Majority Group staged a walk-out.
The public gallery is open to members of the public who are interested in watching legislative business.
The Majority Group then held a news conference, which was addressed by Majority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, who attacked the Speaker and the Minority. He questioned why the Speaker should direct that Ofori-Atta must leave the Chamber when he presented the budget on behalf of President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
This is the second time in Ghana’s history that a budget has been rejected. The budget of the government of the People’s National Party (PNP) led by President Dr Hilla Limann was rejected in 1980.
