Africa-Press. The Pan-African Parliament is one of the nine organs of the African Union, established in 2004 to ensure the participation of the peoples of the African continent in economic development efforts and to enhance the process of continental integration.
It is also known as the Parliament of All Africa and holds two regular sessions annually, along with extraordinary sessions when necessary. Its permanent headquarters is located in Midrand, South Africa, where official voting also takes place.
Establishment
The Pan-African Parliament was established in March 2004, under Article 17 of the Constitutive Act of the African Union, as one of the nine organs stipulated in the Treaty establishing the African Economic Community, which was signed in 1991 in Nigeria.
The headquarters of the Pan-African Parliament is in Midrand, South Africa, and its establishment aimed to provide a common platform for African peoples and their local organizations to enhance their participation in discussions and decision-making regarding the challenges facing the continent. The Parliament aims to become an institution with full legislative powers, with its members elected through universal suffrage.
Structure
The total number of members of the Pan-African Parliament is 275. Article 4 of the protocol establishing the Parliament, which has been signed by 49 member states of the African Union, stipulates that each national parliament is represented by five members, at least one of whom must be a woman. The members must also reflect the political diversity within the national parliaments.
Members of the Pan-African Parliament are elected or appointed by the parliaments of member states, according to Article 5 of the same protocol.
The internal regulations of the Pan-African Parliament state that each of the five geographical regions (North, East, West, Central, South) must form a bloc comprising its members, with the possibility of creating other blocs concerned with issues of common interest at the discretion of the Parliament. In this context, both a women’s bloc and a youth bloc have been established.
The Bureau of the Pan-African Parliament consists of a president and four vice-presidents representing the five regions, with the region holding the presidency excluded from the vice-presidency in the same term. The four vice-presidents are appointed through consultations or voting within each region, known as regional backroom negotiations, and are later approved in the plenary session.
Powers of the Pan-African Parliament
Article 11 of the protocol annexed to the Treaty establishing the African Economic Community concerning the Pan-African Parliament defines its functions and powers, which include:
– Studying and discussing various issues and making appropriate recommendations regarding them, particularly concerning human rights, consolidating democracy, promoting good governance, and the rule of law, either on the initiative of the Parliament itself or at the request of the African Union Assembly or other Union organs.
– Discussing the budget of the Parliament and the budget of the African Economic Community, and making recommendations regarding them before they are presented to the African Union Assembly for approval.
– Working to harmonize and coordinate legislation and laws among member states.
– Making recommendations aimed at achieving the goals of the Organization of African Unity and the African Economic Community, and proposing strategies to address the challenges facing the process of continental integration in Africa.
– Enhancing coordination and harmonization of policies, measures, programs, and activities among regional economic communities and parliamentary forums on the African continent.
– Adopting its internal regulations, electing its president, and proposing the size and nature of the administrative apparatus of the Pan-African Parliament to both the Council and the African Union Assembly.
Presidency of the Parliament
The president of the Pan-African Parliament and the leadership positions within the Parliament are elected based on the principle of geographical rotation, ensuring that leadership positions are periodically distributed among the different regions.
The following is a list of presidents of the Pan-African Parliament since its establishment:
– Gertrude Mongella, East Africa.
– Idriss Ndele Moussa, Central Africa.
– Bethel Amadi, West Africa.
– Roger Nkodo Dang, Central Africa.
– Fortune Charumbira, Southern Africa.
