PAP Bureau Election: Only Northern and Southern regions can present candidates for president - AU

Only the Northern and Southern Regional Caucuses of the Pan African Parliament (PAP) shall be eligible to present candidates for the presidency of the continental parliament in the upcoming bureau election in line with the African Union’s well established principle of rotation of offices among the five regions of the continent.

This decision was at the 39^th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU), 14 – 15 October 2021 at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The Council recalled and reaffirmed its previous decisions in 2017 and 2018 where it called on PAP to apply the African Union values, rules, and regulations in managing all activities of the organ, including rotation of the Bureau and presidency as well as the May 2007 PAP resolution on rotation and then instructed that the upcoming elections should be in line with the principle of rotation.

It further decided that the next upcoming elections of PAP should be held at its Head Quarters in Midrand, South Africa, as per its Protocol, as soon as possible and the next ordinary session of PAP should be dedicated to the election of the PAP Bureau Members to allow the smooth running of the Organ.

Clearly, this decision on venue for the election session puts to rest, attempts to change the venue to another country.

And to prevent a repeat of the experiences of the past election session, the Council directed that the AU Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) shall “conduct and manage the upcoming PAP election process and elaborate the elections modalities within the established Rules and Regulations of the Union and the relevant Executive Council decision on the principle of rotation”.

The Council also requested the OLC to review the Rules of Procedure of the Pan African Parliament in line with Assembly Decision Assembly/AU.Dec.757(XXXIII) of February 2020 that directed the OLC to examine and align legal instruments and rules of procedure of the AU Organs.

On the conduct of the election session, the Council requested the Chairperson of the Commission and the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security to attend the election session. Requesting such attendance may not be unconnected with the fact that PAP does not presently have an elected bureau, a situation which is similar to when PAP was initially inaugurated in March 2004 where as required by the PAP Protocol, the AUC Chairperson presided until a president was elected.

It also authorized the Commission to present the necessary budget to conduct the election of the PAP bureau bearing in mind the urgent and important nature of the matter

Arguably, some of the above decisions may have been taken in response to allegations of conflict of interest leveled by one of the regions against the Clerk and requesting for his recusal from participating in activities leading to the election. For example the regions are to submit their nominations directly to the Office of Legal Counsel who will supervise and manage the election; the Chairperson of the Commission and the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security are to attend the session and the Commission was authorized to present the necessary budget to conduct the election, all point to this reality. Also, the five-member Ad Hoc Committee has in effect been rendered redundant.

Obviously, the AU’s clear and unequivocal message this time is that it will not tolerate the kind of indiscipline and disruptions that were exhibited by some parliamentarians during the last session.

And as a clear indication that there will be consequences for previous misconduct and to discourage further mischief, the Council directed the AU Commission to “undertake a full investigation on the incidents of May 27, 30 and June 1, 2021 that happened in the Pan-African Parliament during the election of PAP Bureau and identify responsible individuals and propose measures to be taken for the consideration of the Executive Council”.

It would be recalled that the Chairperson of the Commission had earlier submitted a report of the Commission on the incidents of 27, 30 May and 1 June 2021 that happened in the Pan-African Parliament during the election of PAP Bureau. The report expressed concern over the lack of decorum shown by some parliamentarians and the physical or verbal violence that was shown during the deliberations which the Council rejected as the actions have damaged the image of the Union within the Continent and beyond and then called on all Parliamentarians and the Secretariat to project the best images of the Union

Most importantly, the Council called on Member States that have not done so to sign and ratify the Protocol to the Constitutive Act of the African Union relating to the Pan-African Parliament (Malabo Protocol) adopted in 2014.