Members of Parliament (MPs) are now allowed to join an independent caucus in Parliament under the recently adopted Standing Orders of the House.

Previously, MPs were mandated to align themselves with either the Majority or Minority Caucus, but the new regulations offer them the flexibility to join independent groups.

Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin announced this change 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.”

Additionally, the new Standing Orders stipulate that sessions will commence with the recitation of the National Pledge.

This revision also mandates heads of government institutions to appear directly before Parliament to address queries concerning their agencies, departing from the previous practice of allowing Ministers of State to represent them during questioning.