A Moroccan parliamentary delegation participated in the first extraordinary session of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) as part of its seventh legislature, held from April 28 to 30 in Midrand, South Africa.
The proceedings of this session were primarily dedicated to the election of the President of the Pan-African Parliament and its four vice-presidents, following the expiration of the sixth Bureau’s mandate on February 28, 2026, according to a press release from the Parliament.
In this context, the meetings of the North African Caucus, held on the sidelines of this session on April 28 and 29, were marked by serious procedural and legal irregularities and violations. These included the imposition of a voting procedure devoid of any legal basis, non-compliance with the principle of consensus, and blatant and illegal administrative interference in the conduct of the meeting’s proceedings.
Constituting a dangerous and unprecedented precedent in parliamentary norms and organizations, private security personnel were deployed in a blatant attempt to influence the course of the meeting and steer its proceedings in order to impose a fait accompli policy. Furthermore, observed violations directly affected the integrity and transparency of the entire process, such as discrepancies in the number of voters, exceeding the legal time limit of the meeting, and the adoption of decisions outside the regulatory framework, which undermines the legitimacy of the announced results, the press release emphasizes.
At the same time, the Moroccan delegation addressed an official letter of protest to both the Chairperson of the African Union Commission and the Legal Counsel of the Union. In it, the delegation detailed and documented the various legal and procedural irregularities and violations that tainted the entire electoral process, calling for urgent intervention to uphold the rules governing the continental organization and ensure their application.
In this regard, the Moroccan delegation expressed its fundamental concerns regarding the violation of the principle of neutrality, which is one of the fundamental pillars that must govern the work of any parliamentary organization, particularly concerning the conduct of proceedings and decision-making mechanisms. They also noted the violation of the principle of general consensus, a core principle adopted to guarantee broad participation and strengthen unity, as well as the adoption of an electoral decision-making method lacking a clear legal basis and failing to respect the principle of rotation in the designation of candidates, a principle that enshrines equity and balance among member states.
Guided by its commitment to protecting the parliamentary institution and strengthening its credibility, the Moroccan delegation emphasized the need for all its structures and decisions to rest on solid foundations based on transparency, legitimacy, pluralism, and genuine democracy. It insisted on the importance of ensuring the integrity of the procedures that governed the process of designating a candidate for the presidency of the Pan-African Parliament, so that the results truly reflect the collective will and enjoy full acceptance.
In light of these violations, the Moroccan delegation announced its official protest against the conduct of these meetings and its rejection of their results, asserting that they are devoid of any solid legal basis. The Moroccan delegation also decided to boycott the electoral process related to this illegal procedure, in accordance with the principles of legitimacy and transparency, and out of a desire to preserve the credibility of the Pan-African Parliament as a continental consultative institution.
However, the Moroccan delegation reaffirmed its commitment to the objectives of the Pan-African Parliament, namely to strengthen the democratic participation of the peoples of the continent and to support the path towards African integration. It underscored the necessity of respecting the legal and institutional rules governing the functioning of this institution to ensure a transparent and credible election of the Bureau for the seventh legislature, expressing its deep dissatisfaction and rejection of the logic of imposing a fait accompli policy, the press release concludes.
- Source: MAP
