Hon. Fortune Chirumbira of Zimbabwe elected Fourth Vice President of the Pan African Parliament

Hon. Chief Fortune Chirumbira

The third day of the 1^st Ordinary Session of the 5^th  Parliament of the Pan African Parliament, currently underway in Kigali, Rwanda, was marked by the election of Hon. Chief Fortune Chirumbira from Zimbabwe, representing the Southern African Region  as the Fourth Vice President of the PAP .

Hon. Charumbira joins a top brass team made up of Hon. Roger Nkodo Dang of Cameroon (Central Africa), Hon. Stephen Julius Masele of Tanzania (East Africa), Hon. Haïdara Aichata Cissé of Mali (West Africa) and Hon. Bouras Djamal of Algeria (North Africa) respectively President, first, second third vice-presidents.

The fourth vice-presidency spot had remained vacant since May 2018 after the Southern African Region failed to nominate a candidate to this position during the election of the 5^th Bureau of the continental Parliament. In line with rules of procedure, fresh elections were scheduled to be called in order to fill the vacancy.

Addressing members of the PAP upon taking his oath of office, Hon. Chief Fortune Chirumbira pledged to be a team player in his bid to help the Bureau to formulate policies that will advance the mandate of the PAP.

"My focus will be on working hand in hand with the other Bureau members to come up with ways to make a difference in the lives of our people as per the mission of this institution. I am grateful to the members of the PAP for the confidence shown in me through what has been a free, fair and transparent process. I hope to count on everyone as we aim to surmount the difficult task of making the PAP relevant to the people ," says Hon. Chirumbira.

Welcoming Hon. Chirumbira to the Bureau, Hon. Roger Nkodo Dang, President of the PAP, urged all members to put their differences aside and work towards the same goal.

"The election of Hon. Chirumbira signals the end of the election process. The Bureau is now complete and it is time to get on with the work as a united front. The election is behind so let's honour our commitment to the continent." says Hon.Dang.

Hon. Chirumbira has been a member of the PAP for over 14 years and he was previously Chairperson of the Committee on Audit and Public Accounts (CAPA).