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AU mulls legislative powers for PAP

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THE African Union (AU) is at the end of this month expected to discuss whether or not to give the Pan African Parliament (PAP) legislative powers. The PAP, which is the legislative arm of the AU, was formed in 2000 under a constitutive Act of Abuja. During the first five years of its inception, it was meant to play an advisory role to the AU, but with no legislative powers. It was agreed that after the five years, the body could have legislative powers. PAP currently has 265 members including Zimbabwe, which is represented by Joram Gumbo, who is also the ZANU PF Chief Whip. In an interview with The Patriot, Gumbo said a group of experts would at the end of this month meet to advise heads of state represented in the AU on the future of the PAP. “The experts are currently drafting proposals and validating the PAP so that it may be transformed into a legislative body. “It currently does not have powers to act like the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS and East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).” Considered one of the pillars of the African Economic Community, ECOWAS was founded in order to achieve ‘collective self-sufficiency’ for its member states by creating a single large trading bloc through an economic and trading union. On the other hand, EALA legislates, oversees and represents the people of East Africa in a bid to foster economic, social, cultural and political integration. Gumbo said while North Africa and Central Africa had such bodies, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) had none. “The PAP will be assigned powers which might have something to do with trade, immigration, security and many others,” said Gumbo. “It will help the member states work together and unify them as well.” Gumbo revealed that the PAP was undertaking awareness campaigns on the ratification of the charter on election, democracy and governance. The charter, he said, seeks to standardise the election system across Africa. “We have been to East Africa and SADC and we are left with West and North Africa and we hope all states will sign the charter,” he said. “So far all SADC countries have not yet ratified the charter except for Lesotho and we are encouraging all states to do likewise.”

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