Central African Republic ratifies the PAP Revised Protocol

The Central African Republic (CAR) has become the fifteenth (15^th) African Union (AU) Member State to ratify the Protocol to the Constitutive Act of the AU relating to the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), also known as the Malabo Protocol. This development is a major boost for the renewal aspirations of the Continental Parliament, taking it one step closer to full legislative powers.

As provided by Article 5 of the Constitutive Act of the AU, the Pan-African Parliament is the third of the nine AU organs with the mandate to promote economic and social integration through making laws.

The Malabo Protocol was adopted by the 23^rd Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea on 27^th June 2014.

Article 8 of the Protocol provides that the Pan-African Parliament shall be the legislative organ of the AU with the power to make draft model laws in areas determined by the Assembly.

Under the current Protocol, PAP has advisory and consultative powers and extends to recommendations, consultation, and playing an advisory and oversight role for all AU organs pending the ratification of Revised Protocol which requires a minimum of 28 countries to ratify it before it comes into force. So far, fourteen countries have ratified the Protocol.

CAR joins Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and Togo as the African countries that have so far heeded the call to empower the continental Parliament.

The President of the Pan-African Parliament, H.E. Hon. Chief Fortune Charumbira has welcomed the development, indicating that more countries are rallying behind the drive to revive, renew, reposition, and reinvigorate Africa’s Parliament.

“We are delighted to have CAR on board, and we congratulate the country on this milestone. We encourage other AU Member States to heed the call as we aim for the 28 ratifications. This latest ratification vindicates our vision that true integration of the African continent will only be achieved through the involvement of the grassroots in the affairs of the AU, with a strong Continental Parliament as a cornerstone of these interactions,” said Hon. Chief Charumbira.