Pan-African Parliament to elect new leadership after day of chaos

Following a day of chaos and bitter disagreements at the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) in Midrand, Johannesburg, members of the continental legislature are expected to elect a new leadership on Tuesday afternoon.

On Monday evening, proceedings at the PAP had to be adjourned after Members of Parliament (MPs) continued to clash over whether the presidency should be on a rotational basis or via a direct ballot box.

It is understood that southern block is calling for the presidency to rotate while the east and west are against this. Voting is expected to begin at 2pm.

Senegalian representative Djibril War allegedly kicked South African PAP representative Pemmy Majodina. Majodina said she would open a case of assault with the police against War.

She said she was attempting to break up a fight between MPs when she was kicked.

A male member of the #PanAfricanParliament attempting to kick the Chief Whip of the @ANCParliament #PemmyMajodina. The #PAP is such a disgrace to us as tax payers and the people of Africa it claims to represent!!!! pic.twitter.com/K468epqyPN

— Zama Mvulane ™️ (@_ZamaMvulane) May 31, 2021

Last week Thursday, a video of EFF leader Julius Malema threatening to kill a parliamentary member surfaced on social media.

“Don’t make noise here, we are here to listen, don’t make noise here. I will f*ck you up outside, I will kill you outside, I will kill you. You do not know me,” Malema could be heard saying in the video.

The sitting was disrupted when defiant members of the parliament refused to vacate the Midrand premises, demanding that elections of office bearers be held even though a staff member tested positive for Covid-19.

The acting president and presiding officer made the announcement after the MPs had taken their seats but other MPs said it was an attempt to delay incumbent Roger Nkodo Dang’s ouster.

Controversial incumbent Dang from Cameroon has been at the helm for two terms even though the parliament agreed on the principle of regional rotation.

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