Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has announced that the new Standing Orders of the House now allow Members of Parliament the option to belong to an independent caucus.

Bagbin explained that the updated standing orders, which came into effect on Tuesday, February 6th, provide MPs with the opportunity to form an independent caucus instead of affiliating with either the Majority or Minority caucus.

He disclosed this information during his opening remarks in Parliament.

“The system that we have now allows you to belong to what we call the independent caucus. You don’t need to align with the Minority or the Majority. As I state very often, we can have an independent president in this country without members of parliament. The rules have changed, and this change recognizes the situation that we are in and also prepares for other future scenarios.”

According to the new Standing Orders, Members of Parliament will commence sessions by reciting the National Pledge.

This notable amendment in the new standing orders mandates heads of government institutions to appear directly before Parliament to address queries concerning their agencies.

This change contrasts with the previous standing orders, which allowed Ministers of State to represent the heads of institutions during questioning.