Zimbabwe takes control of the Pan African Parliament

The Pan African Parliament (PAP) has elected a Zimbabwean Honorable Senator, Chief Fortune Zepania Charumbira, as the new leader of the Parliament at the Ordinary Session of the Fifth Parliament, held in Midrand, South Africa.

The Honorable Senate, Chief Fortune Charumbira, from Zimbabwe, has been elected as the new leader of the Pan-Africa Parliament (PAP) at the Pan-African Ordinary Session of the Fifth Parliament, held in Midrand, South Africa.

His election received 161 votes out of a total of 203 votes cast, representing 79 percent, while 31 members did not vote, and 11 votes were void or spoiled.

The elected PAP President is traditional He also serves as the current President of the Council of Chiefs in Zimbabwe. In 2000, he was the Deputy Minister of Local Government and Public Works in Zimbabwe. He has a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA), a Bachelor of Administration Law and Labor Law, and a specialist in Institutional Change and Performance Improvement.

Among his immediate plans following his election are to fight and destroy the divisions caused by foreign languages imposed on the continent by outsiders, which resulted in the continent identifying itself as Anglophone, Francophone, and Lusophone nations.

The PAP President, Charumbira, said, “I am a President for everyone, despite how you voted. It is high time we put our African people forward and do away with unnecessary conflicts.” Together, we can achieve more. We will only develop our continent when we are united, and this is an essential thing for our people to see and experience in our lifetime.”

The elections come following a stalemate that saw the legislative arm of the African Union fail to choose its leaders owing to differences in modalities of handling elections last year.

The elections were presided over by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission Chairperson, the Chief Executive Officer and Legal Representative of the African Union, His Excellency Moussa Faki Mahamat.

Mahamat was representing President Macky Sall, of the Republic of Senegal, and the incumbent Chairperson of the African Union, who was meant to supervise the Session on an exceptional measure guided by Article 14 (1) of the PAP Protocol.

It stipulates that the Plenary Session of the Parliament shall be presided by the Chairperson of the Union in the absence of the Bureau of PAP, until the election of the President of the Parliament, who shall thereafter preside over the entire processes of the institution. 

However, the newly elected Pan-African Parliament Bureau executives are as follows; 

1. President- Zimbabwe (male), Southern region 

2. First Vice President- Mauritania (female) North region

3. Second Vice President- Ethiopia (male) East region 

4. 3rd Vice President- Cape Verde (female) Western Region

5. 4th Vice President- Gabon (male) Central region

By Mohamed Amara Gando