Pan-African Parliament Holds Successful Election – Ghanamma.com

The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) held a successful election on Wednesday, with Zimbabwe’s Member of Parliament (MP), Fortune Charumbira, winning a horse race to become the speaker of the continent’s Legislative Assembly.

Ghana’s Majority Chief Whip, Frank Enoh-Dompre, who represented the West African Bloc, headed the PAP’s five-member ad-hoc election committee to oversee the election.

Other members of the election committee are Janet Kaabil (MME) (DRC) – Central Africa, Thembekile Richard Majola (RSA) – South Africa, Stewart Madzayo (Kenya) East Africa and Fateh Boutbig (Algeria) North Africa.

Voting to elect a president in the PAP was disrupted last year after some members threatened to kill each other and were thrown into session with some members.

The ugly incident occurred when the 235-member parliament was electing the next president, with southern African representatives insisting that their candidate be chosen in order to end the dominance of other regions.

The legislative branch of the African Union sat for a simple session at its headquarters in Midrand since the beginning of the week and Wednesday’s proceedings saw more than 200 delegates vote for the bureau of parliament, the president and two vice-presidents.

The Ad-hoc Committee of Enoh-Dompreh, which was assisted in its deliberations by the PAP’s Secretariat, AUC officials and the Office of Legal Counsel, was praised for the successful conduct of the election, which produced Mr. Charumbira after 161 votes. did. A total of 203 votes went in his favour.

In announcing the results of the election, Mr. Anoh-Dompre indicated, among other things, that by Rule 16(3) of the Rules of Procedure, the Committee would assist the Legal Counsel in organizing and presiding over the election of the Pan African President. agreed to do. Parliament.

Charumbira’s bid for the presidency in the Pan-African Parliament appeared to be fruitless after gaining the support of the southern and northern regions, and she is the first representative from the southern bloc to take the top seat.

He was elected unopposed because the nomination of Malawi candidate Yeremiah Chihana was canceled because it was not following the protocol of the AU.

by Ernest Kofi Addus