Zimbabwe: Pap Election Scheduled for April

The long-awaited election of the Pan African Parliament (PAP) leader, which will see the Southern African region presenting Chiefs' Council President Chief Charumbira as its candidate, has now been set for April.

The decision was made last Thursday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where the PAP Executive Council was gathered ahead of an African Union summit that ended yesterday.

Members of Parliament from Southern Africa have thrown their weight behind Chief Charumbira after the African Union Commission directed that PAP must apply the principle of rotation in which the four regions of the continent rotate.

Elections for the PAP were aborted in May last year over disagreements on whether candidates from the Western and Northern African regions were eligible to contest given that they had occupied the office before.

The decision to have elections held in April was made during the 40th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union, which considered progress report on the issue.

At least 12 Ministers of Foreign Affairs, who included Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister, Dr Frederick Shava, spoke affirming the requirement to hold elections.

In an interview from Addis Ababa on Friday, Acting Chairperson of the Southern African Regional Caucus Mr Yeremiah Chihana of Malawi confirmed the new dates.

This article originally appeared on The Herald

Photo: The Herald