The scene in Ghana’s Parliament on the night of December 20, 2021, was a chaotic one as Parliamentarians traded free for all blows on the floor of Parliament.
The scuffle stared when the First Deputy Speaker, Joe Osei-Owusu vacated the chair of the Second Deputy Speaker which he presiding, so his vote could be counted under a certificate of urgency.
Parliamentarians from both sides rushed to secure the seat of the Second Deputy Speaker when it became vacant when it was shortly vacated by Joe Osei-Owusu.
This lead to the trading of blows from some parliamentarians from both sides.
The house was voting on whether to vote on the Electronic Transaction Levey (E-Levy) bill under a certificate of urgency.
Joe Osei-Owusu decided to cast his vote, but the minority had indicated that he cannot participate in the voting process because of his position as Second Deputy Speaker and not participating in the voice vote.
The E-Levy bill, introduced by the Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta when he delivered the 2022 budget statement on Wednesday November 17, 2021; seeks to impose a 1.75 percent tax on electronic transactions which includes Mobile Money, bank transfers, merchant payments and inward remittances.
Various discussion on the bill has be heated with both sides of the has defending their stance.
Watch the video of the scuffle below.