MP Kantengwa elected VP in Pan-African Parliament

MP Juliana Kantengwa was on Monday elected 4th Vice-President of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), the legislative body of the African Union.Kantengwa is representing the eastern African region, according to a statement sent to The New Times by the PAP, in Midrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.Also elected, was new President, Bethel Nnaemeka Amadi, from Nigeria who is a former First Vice-President to former president Dr. Moussa Idriss Ndélé.Amadi was the only candidate for the position following the withdrawal of Béchir Chammam of Tunisia.The other Vice-Presidents elected are: First Vice-President, Roger Nkodo Dang, from Cameroun representing the Central African region; Second Vice-President, Moustafa El Gendy, from Egypt, representing the Northern African region and Third Vice-President, Loide L. Kasingo, from Namibia, representing the Southern African Region.Together, the five members will form the bureau of the PAP for a period of three years.Rwanda is supposed to have five representatives in the PAP. The others are Gallican Niyongana, Agnès Mukabaranga and Jeanne d’Arc Nyinawase. The fourth was the late Tharcisse Shamakokera who has not been replaced.The New Times could not reach Kantengwa, by press time but Senator Agnes Mukabaranga, who joined the PAP in 2004 with Kantengwa noted that her election is “a very great honour” to the country and the region.“It is a very great honour for her to be elected to that level in the continental Parliament which is at a higher level than the EALA, the regional Parliament. Juliana and I are among the pioneers of the PAP.”“She has indeed gained enough experience in addition to the capacity enabling her to reach that level and I am sure she will work hard for the region which fronted her as well as her country.”Kantengwa is currently the Chairperson of the Chamber of Deputies’ standing Committee on Economy and Trade. From 2004 to 2008, she was PAP’s Vice-Chairperson of the Committee on International relations, Cooperation and Conflict resolution.

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MP Kantengwa elected VP in Pan-African Parliament