Chief Charumbira leads PAP Southern Region team to meet Malawi President

A delegation of the Southern Africa Regional Caucus of the Pan African Parliament (PAP) led by Hon. Chief Fortune Charumbira last Friday, paid a visit to the President of Malawi, H.E. Lazarus Chakwera to brief him on efforts so far made to find a lasting solution to the current challenges facing the PAP.

The PAP delegation visited President Chakwera in his capacity as the Chairperson of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC).

Speaking with reporters at the end of the visit which took place at the State House, Malawi, Chief Charumbira stated that the meeting :was to brief and consult with President Chawera on recent developments at the continental parliament as the SADC leader”.

It would be recalled that in an effort to investigate the factors which led the suspension of the May 2021 session of the PAP, the African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat sent a delegation that visited PAP from September 27 to 30, 2021.

The delegation concluded its visit and submitted a progress report to the AUC Chairperson and the Permanent Representative Committee (PRC) which met from September 27 to October 1, 2021.

At the end of its meeting, the PRC recommended that in line with previous Executive Council decisions on geographic rotation of offices and the May 11, 2007 resolution of the PAP, the principle of rotational presidency of PAP shall apply at the November 2021 election.

The PRC also recommended that the AU Office of Legal Counsel shall conduct and manage the PAP presidential election process with the Chairperson of the AUC and the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security in attendance at the election session.

The Executive Council which holds its meeting from October 14 and 15, 2021 at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia is expected to deliberate on and adopt the draft decisions submitted by the PRC.

Hon. Chief Fortune Charumbira who is the leading candidate for the presidency of PAP regretted that the leadership crisis at the continental parliament has adversely affected its ability to serve as a beacon of democracy in Africa and provide a voice for the voiceless.

He noted that PAP plays an important role in setting the tone for public discourse on the Continent and pledged that if elected, he would be in the fore-front of addressing issues of terrorism in the continent and ensuring that it brings to end the terrorism that is taking place in Mozambique, Cabo Delgado Province and other parts of the continent.

Hon. Charumbira also pledged that if elected, he will use the platform to call for the waiver of specific trade related aspects of Intellectual Property rights relating to the manufacturing of COVID-19 Vaccines and related drugs.