Members of Parliament on the Majority side staged a walkout during the approval process of the 2024 budget, adding another layer to the ongoing tensions in Ghana’s legislative body.
Following the conclusion of the budget debate, Speaker Alban Bagbin initiated a voice vote, which the Minority challenged, demanding a head count. The Majority of MPs, dissatisfied with the situation, walked out of the parliamentary session.
The walkout occurred after both the Minority Leader, Dr. Ato Forson, and Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, made their concluding remarks on the budget. Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta presented the 2024 budget policy document to Parliament on November 15, 2023.
Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has since suspended sittings to tomorrow, Thursday (29 November).
The disagreement over the approval method and the subsequent walkout underscores the deep divisions and challenges within Ghana’s Parliament regarding the budget approval process.
SOURCE: DAILY MAIL GH