…Continental Assembly needs legislative powers, mirroring EALA they say
East African Legislative Assembly, Kigali, Rwanda, December 4, 2015: EALA is rooting for an effective continental Assembly and one with legislative powers. Consequently, EALA yesterday afternoon passed a Resolution urging EAC Partner States to urgently sign, ratify and deposit the required instruments of the amended Protocol to the Constitutive Act of the African Union. This shall enable PAP to achieve one of its important pillar of legislation.
The Resolution presented to the House by Hon Chris Opoka on behalf of Hon Mike Sebalu, notes that PAP has been exercising limited oversight, advisory role and consultative powers to the African Union, as the Organ that represents all peoples of Africa and the interests of Africans in the diaspora.
EALA qualifies to be a Parliament given its full legislative, oversight and representative nature. On its part PAP, is a deliberative body with consultative and advisory body. It is ideal that we have a PAP in both spirit and character as is EALA.
The Debate of the Resolution was stood over at the Plenary Sitting in Nairobi. Hon Dr. Odette Nyiramilimo moved under Rule 30 (c ) to postpone debate on the motion to give Members time to consult the documents and the necessary Protocol to enrich the debate in future.
According to the mover, PAP which has been in existence for eleven years had 5 Presidents at the helm of the body. It has an overlapping nature that needs a defined term. At the moment, Members of PAP belong to National Assemblies/Parliaments and with the high turn- over at national assemblies, there is institutional challenges, Hon Sebalu said.
The Heads of State and Governments of the African Union adopted the amended Protocol to the Constitutive Act of the African Union relating to the Pan-African Parliament on June 27th, 2014 at its Twenty-Third Ordinary Session held in Malabo in Equatorial Guinea. According to the Resolution, the amended Protocol requires 28 ratifications from AU Member States for it to come into force. EALA is concerned that only 6 countries have signed the Protocol with only the Republic of Mali ratifying and depositing the instrument. The move has led the Pan-African Parliament to set itself a target of 2016 as the target for achieving all the required 28 ratifications.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Article 130(1) (2) and (3) provides that the Partner States shall honour their commitments in respect of other multinational and international organisations of which they are Members; reiterate their desire for a wider unity of Africa and regard Community as a step towards the achievements of the objectives of the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community; with a view to contributing towards the achievement of the objectives of the Community, the Community shall foster co-operative arrangements with other regional and international organisations whose activities shall have a bearing on the objectives of the Community and the Partner States shall accord special importance to co-operate with the Organisation of Africa Unity, United Nations Organisation and its agencies, and other Organisations, bilateral and multilateral Development Partners interested in the objectives of the Community.
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For more Information, contact: Bobi Odiko, Senior Public Relations Officer;
East African Legislative Assembly; Tel: +255-27-2508240 Cell: +255 787 870945+254-733-718036;
Email: bodiko@eachq.org
Web: https://www.eala.org
Arusha, Tanzania
