The inability of Parliament to deliberate on the mini-budget before the year’s end has drawn criticism from the Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin. He attributed the delay to the actions of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament, accusing them of creating chaos and hindering consensus-building efforts.
This criticism followed Parliament’s adjournment to January 2, 2025. Afenyo-Markin expressed his frustration to journalists on December 20, highlighting that NDC members were attempting to exclude key issues such as the Free SHS bill and the consideration of some judges from the order paper. “Today we did the agendum, for some strange, mysterious reasons, the Free SHS Bill was taken off the order paper. I had to cause the reprinting of the order paper to have the Free SHS bill. Why are they against the free SHS bill? Why don’t they want the Free SHS bill to be passed?” he questioned.
The situation was further complicated by the absence of Finance Minister Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam from the chamber for the fifth consecutive day, preventing the presentation of the critical motion. Without agreement on the key business the government intended to address, the mini-budget was not presented.
The Vote on Account, a provisional financial measure essential for government operations until the full 2025 budget is approved by the incoming administration, remains unaddressed. The Finance Minister’s absence left parliamentary proceedings stalled, causing frustration among members, particularly on the minority side.
The mini-budget, which was expected to outline government expenditure and revenues for the interim period, remains pending, highlighting the ongoing challenges in reaching a consensus within Parliament.
