Speaker of Parliament Catherine Gotani Hara has announced a break from the budget meeting from today until Wednesday June 23 to allow members of Parliament (MPs) to vote in the fresh presidential election tomorrow.
In a press statement dated June 20, Hara states that the move has been taken to allow the MPs to exercise their right to vote.
Reads the statement in part: “The Office of the Speaker of the National Assembly is informing all Cabinet ministers, deputy ministers, members of Parliament and the general public that the august House will reconvene for the continuation of the 2020/2021 Budget Meeting on Thursday, 25th June 2020 from 2pm and not on Monday, 22nd June 2020 as previously announced.
“This decision has been taken in order to give members ample time to exercise their right to vote in the fresh presidential election scheduled for Tuesday, 23rd June, 2020.”
Parliament was supposed to reconvene this afternoon for the budget meeting after a week-long cluster meeting break where legislators analysed the K2 trillion budget presented by Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development Joseph Mwananvekha on June 12 2020.
Parliament, which is expected to pass the Budget by June 30, was supposed to have responses by opposition spokespersons on finance and the chairpersons of budget committee and thereafter reports from cluster committee chairpersons.
The country goes to polls tomorrow for the court-sanctioned fresh presidential election following the nullification of the May 2019 presidential election which were marred by irregularities.
