Under the leadership of Alexander Afenyo Markin, the Majority Caucus in Ghana’s Parliament has initiated the process of recalling Parliament from recess to address unfinished business.
This move comes after the House was adjourned sine die by Speaker Alban Sumana Bagbin on March 20th, 2024, amidst a turf war between the Executive and the Legislature over the transmission of the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill for assent.
The Majority Caucus, comprising 138 members, expressed concerns about important pending matters that were supposed to be addressed before the recess. Addressing the press in Parliament on Friday, May 3, 2024, Afenyo Markin argued that they are fortified by law to compel the Speaker to summon the House within seven days of receiving a request from not less than 15% of Members of Parliament, as stipulated in Order 53 of the Revised Standing Orders adopted in February this year.
Afenyo Markin stated, “We are left with no option than to evoke our right under Article 112 (3) of the Constitution. Unfortunately, my prayer was unsuccessful, so we took the first major step.” He emphasized that three items of urgent importance were advertised to be taken before the Speaker adjourned the House sine die. These include the Report of the Appointment Committee on the President’s nominees for Ministerial and Deputy Ministerial appointments; an IDA loan of 150 million dollars meant for the Greater Accra to shore up the currency; and a motion for a tax waiver for some One District, One Factory program.
The Majority Leader urged the Minority Caucus to support this call in the interest of the country, stating, “It is our view that we have our 138 as the Majority and we should be able to carry on with Government Business.”
The process to recall Parliament involves submitting a request to the Speaker, who must summon Parliament within seven days. It remains to be seen how the Speaker and the Minority Caucus will respond to this development and whether Parliament will reconvene to address the pending matters.
Source: Clement Akoloh||parliamentnews360.com
