Parliament approves 2022 budget with only Majority present

The Minority caucus were not present in the House on Tuesday.

The First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu, 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 House has approved the budget and economic statement,” he noted.

The one-sided House, made up of the Majority Caucus, passed the budget.

Before the budget was passed, the First Deputy Speaker said the earlier rejection of the budget on Friday, November 26, 2021, was null and void because parliament did not have more than half of its members during the vote on the budget.

He noted that 137 members was not enough to make a decision on the budget, according to law.

The NDC Minority boycotted Parliament after failing to reach an agreement with the Majority over the status of the 2022 budget.

While the Majority insist the rejection of the budget is unlawful, the Minority maintains the House followed due process in rejecting it.

After a series of meetings to resolve the standoff the Minority still stayed away from proceedings today.