“We can come back in December to approve 2025 budget” – Ato Forson

There is no deadline for approving the budget for the first three months of the fiscal year 2025, according to Minority Leader Cassiel Ato Forson.

His remarks come after Speaker Alban Bagbin unexpectedly adjourned Parliament on Tuesday, October 22, after the Supreme Court ordered him to halt the implementation of a prior ruling declaring four parliamentary seats empty.

One of the main items on the House’s agenda for the planned meeting was the budget projections for the next fiscal quarter.

However, many are apprehensive about the budgetary plan that will direct government operations in early 2025 as a result of the sudden postponement.

After the postponement, Ato Forson told reporters that Parliament could meet again in December to pass the budget.

“We can come back in December to approve it,” he implied that in order to finalize the estimates, a post-election session could be required.

“There’s no timeline; the most important thing is that the estimate in advance of our operations must be passed before 1 January. So clearly, we can come back any time after the elections to get it approved.”

The Speaker cited the Supreme Court’s order to revoke his designation of four House seats vacant which rendered members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the Majority Caucus, illegal.

After adjourning the House indefinitely, Bagbin made no indication that he would follow the court’s ruling.

On October 18, 2024, Ghana’s Supreme Court overturned Speaker of the House of Parliament Alban Bagbin’s decision over the vacation of around four seats.

This happened when the nation’s highest court, presided over by Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, was deliberating on a request from members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in parliament.

The Speaker’s October 17, 2024, verdict is essentially suspended by the apex court’s ruling until more legal analysis and a final conclusion are made.

The affected seats and their MPs included Cynthia Morrison (Agona West), Kwadjo Asante (Suhum), Andrew Amoako Asiamah (Fomena), and Peter Kwakye Ackah (Amenfi Central).

The supreme court’s verdict essentially halts the Speaker’s October 17, 2024, ruling until more legal review and a final decision are made.

The NDC now has a majority in Parliament after Bagbin approved a move by Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson to declare about four seats vacant.

In his verdict, the Speaker pointed out that the concerned Members of Parliament had violated Article 97(g) and (h) of the 1992 Constitution by choosing to run in the December 7, 2024, election as independents or on the ticket of a party other than the one they presently represent.

Source: Ghanatodayonline.com