Finance Minister not mandated by constitution to present budget statement - Majority Leader clarifies

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu says it is only commonsensical that the Finance Minister delivers the budget statement in Parliament and not that he is mandated by the Constitution.

According to him, the Finance Minister’s name is not mentioned in the constitution as the one who has to read the budget statement in Parliament but rather the President can appoint any Minister who has been sworn into office.

Speaking on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu indicated that if the Finance Minister-designate had been vetted by the Appointment Committee of Parliament, the President would have consulted with him to appoint Deputies and one of them could have delivered the budget statement.

“Since he has not been vetted and the constitution says that deputy Ministers are appointed in consultation with the substantive Minister, nobody can do the presentation unless the President appoints any of the Ministers who have been vetted and sworn into office to do the presentation,” he stated.

“In the constitution, the Finance Minister’s name is not mentioned as the one to read the budget statement but rather it is commonsensical that the Finance Minister will be the one to present the budget statement in Parliament,” he indicated.

He maintained that, “even if the Finance Minister has been vetted before he travelled outside, the President is not under any obligation to appoint the deputy Finance Minister to present the budget statement; he can appoint any other person to present the budget statement to Ghanaians through Parliament”.

He, however, notified that President Akufo-Addo announced at the Cabinet retreat that the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs delivers the budget statement on Friday as he also doubles as the leader of government business of Parliament and who also performs in the absence of ministers in Parliament.

“What I will be doing on Friday, I will be doing so in particular on the premises that I am the leader of government business,” he reiterated.