The Minority in Parliament staged a walkout on Thursday, July 24, 2025, just moments before Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson was scheduled to present the 2025 Mid-Year Budget Review.
The walkout, led by Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh, was in protest of the government’s alleged failure to address electoral violence that marred the Ablekuma North by-election earlier this month.
Rising to address the House ahead of the day’s business, Mr. Annoh-Dompreh requested leave to speak on what he described as an urgent matter of concern.
He cited the July 11 rerun at Ablekuma North, during which violence erupted, and insisted that the House could not proceed with business as usual while the matter remained unaddressed.
“Speaker, with all due respect, I will not defy your authority on any day,” he said. “But we have lined up a number of activities to back our demands, and to the extent that these acts of violence have not been atoned for, we cannot be part of the presentation of the Mid-Year Budget. To that extent, we are exiting the chamber and cannot be part of this process.”
Speaker Alban Bagbin acknowledged the seriousness of the concerns and encouraged the House to set a date to thoroughly debate the issue of electoral violence.
Nonetheless, the Minority carried through with their decision and exited the chamber.
Meanwhile, Dr. Forson will deliver the Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review, which is expected to focus on the country’s economic performance over the first half of the year, including strategies to consolidate gains under the IMF-supported recovery programme.
The review is anticipated to touch on revenue generation, spending reforms, and potential revisions to key tax policies, including the recently introduced ₵1 fuel levy, the scrapping of the E-Levy, and possible changes to the VAT regime.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
