The 44th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council convened at the African (AU) Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on February 14-15, 2024. Among the key items on the agenda of the meeting of African Ministers of Foreign Affairs was the examination of the report presented by the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) concerning the state of affairs at the Pan-African Parliament (PAP).
Upon thorough consideration of the report, which originated from recommendations put forth by a Taskforce deployed by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) to assess the situation at the Union's legislative branch, the Executive Council issued the following directives:
- The PAP Plenary session should be convened at the PAP headquarters in Midrand, South Africa, before the end of March 2024, to fill the vacancies in the PAP Bureau. The Commission should oversee the election process of Bureau members to ensure transparency and independence, following the guidelines developed by the Office of the Legal Counsel.
- Pending the finalization of the election, the Third Vice President, Lucia Maria Mendes Goncalves Dos Passos, should immediately act as President in line with Article 12(7) of the Protocol, which specifies that rotation within the Bureau should occur in the absence of a president.
- The Clerk of the Secretariat of the Pan-African Parliament, Lindiwe Khumalo, should be immediately reinstated.
- The suspended Rules of Procedure of the Pan-African Parliament should be reconsidered by the PAP Plenary, taking into consideration the inconsistencies outlined in the Legal Opinion issued by the Office of the Legal Counsel.
- Any decision made based on the suspended revised Rules of Procedure of the PAP dated 4 November 2022, should be considered null and void.
- Administrative decisions made by the former and current leadership of PAP without following established rules and due process, including recruitment, promotions, and suspensions, should be reviewed and nullified.
In line with the spirit and intentions of Member States, Hon. Lucia Maria Mendes Goncalves Dos Passos from Cabo Verde has officially assumed the role of Acting President of the Pan-African Parliament. Consequently, Ms. Lindiwe Khumalo has promptly resumed her duties as the Clerk of Parliament.
Upon taking on the responsibilities as the interim leader of the Parliament, Hon. Dos Passos promptly convened a meeting with Senior Management, including the Clerk of Parliament, the Deputy Clerk of Legislative Business, and the Acting Deputy Clerk, who also returned to his position.
The primary objective of the meeting was to address pressing operational matters and the implementation of all directives from the Executive Council. The Acting President also instructed the Secretariat to initiate preparations to engage with the Office of the Legal Council of the African Union to chart a course for the organization of elections to fill vacancies in the Pan-African Parliament Bureau.
End.
