Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta
Minority Caucus appears to be embarking on an exercise in futility to get the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta removed from office as they lack the numbers as required by the law.
Members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Parliament have filed a motion to get the Finance Minister removed.
According to DGN Online source close to the Minority, the motion has been signed by almost all members of the caucus, making it admissible on the floor of Parliament so that it can be moved in the House.
However, the opposition members lack the required 182 Votes to get Ken Ofori-Atta out from office.
Per the Constitutional provision, Article 82 of the 1992 constitution states: “1. Parliament may, by a resolution supported by the votes of not less than two-thirds of all the members of Parliament, pass a vote of censure on a Minister of State.
2. A motion for the resolution referred to in clause (1) of this article shall not be moved in Parliament unless:
a. seven days’ notice has been given of the motion; and
b. the notice for the motion has been signed by not less than one-third of all the members of Parliament;
3. The motion shall be debated in Parliament within fourteen days after the receipt by the Speaker of the notice for the motion.
4. A Minister of State in respect of whom a vote of censure is debated under clause (3) of this article is entitled, during the debate, to be heard in his defence.
5. Where a vote of censure is passed against a Minister under this article the President may, unless the Minister resigns his office, revoke his appointment as a Minister.
6. For the avoidance of doubt this article applies to a Deputy Minister as it applies to a Minister of State.
However, there is a required threshold which demands that the motion must be signed by not less than one-third of all members in the House before it can be moved in Parliament has been fulfilled but the threshold that the Minority needs to to perform the intended action is what they are lacking.
The requirement for the motion to be supported by the votes of not less than two-thirds of all the members of Parliament, in order to pass a vote of censure on a Minister of State, will not be met by the Minority in Parliament without the support of members from the Majority side, considering the current state of the House.
The minority currently has 136 members while the majority is composed of 137 members excluding the Independent member who sits on the majority side.
By Vincent Kubi