The Pan-African Parliament (PAP), the legislative arm of the African Union (AU), will convene in an Extraordinary Session from 20 to 27 March 2024 at the Parliament’s Headquarters in Midrand, South Africa.
The main business on the agenda of the Session is the election for vacant positions in the PAP Bureau, slated for 25 March 2024. The positions of President, First Vice President, and Fourth Vice President of the Bureau are currently vacant following elections and unconstitutional changes of government in some AU Member States.
The announcement of the Extraordinary Session of the PAP is in line with the deliberations of the 44th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council, held in Addis Ababa, from 14th to 15 February 2024, concerning the situation at the Pan-African Parliament, as well as subsequent directives from the Chairperson of the African Union Commission and Legal Representative of the Union.
The 44th Ordinary Session of Africa’s Ministers of Foreign Affairs further tasked the AUC with overseeing the election process of Bureau members "to ensure transparency and independence, following the guidelines developed by the Office of the Legal Counsel."
Hon. Lucia Dos Passos, Acting President of the PAP, has indicated that the Extraordinary Session will signal the full resumption of Parliamentary activities and set the PAP on the process of fully contributing to the promotion of policies and programs of the AU, including the theme of the year 2024, in line with the Parliament’s mandate.
End.
