Pan-African Parliament meets in Addis
A continental Parliament is set to benefit from the experiences of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) during the 6th Ordinary Session of the Second Parliament in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on January 16-20, 2012.
Pan African Parliament (PAP) is holding the session under the theme: Transformation of the Pan-African Parliament into a Legislative Organ which will avail strategies in its (PAP) quest to transform into a legislative Organ-as Continental Assembly seeks legislative powers – more like EALA
EALA Speaker, Rt. Hon Abdirahin Haithar Abdi is expected to deliver a solidarity statement during the opening of the five-day session.  Other presentations shall be on topics related to the State of the African Union expected to be delivered by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mr. Jean Ping, a debate on Peace and Security and another briefing on the State of Ratification of the African Charter on Democracy, Governance and Elections.
The Pan African Parliament based in Johannesburg, South Africa is the legislative body of the African Union. PAP held its inaugural session on 18 March 2004. At present, it exercises oversight and has advisory and consultative powers.
Other than the European Union, EALA is the only regional Parliament with legislative powers. Laws enacted by EALA take precedence over national laws of the Partner States on matters pertaining to the Community.
In the past, a number of regional Parliaments such as the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament have indicated their intention and desire to transform into Assemblies with legislative powers.
Last year, the SADC-PF sent a delegation to Arusha to understudy the EALA model. EALA Members led by the Speaker were also in Luanda, Angola to attend the 29th Plenary Assembly of the SADC-PF where they shared various experiences on the EALA model. The 29th Plenary Assembly drew lessons from experiences of the EALA on among other things, the framework of its establishment, relationship between the Assembly and other Organs of the Community and the relationship with National Assemblies.
The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) was established in March 2004, by Article 17 of The Constitutive Act of the African Union, as one of the nine Organs provided for in the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community signed in Abuja, Nigeria, in 1991.
The establishment of the Pan-African Parliament is informed by a vision to provide a common platform for African peoples and their grass-roots organizations to be more involved in discussions and decision-making on the problems and challenges facing the continent.
The Pan-African Parliamentarians represent all the peoples of Africa. The ultimate aim of the Pan-African Parliament is to evolve into an institution with full legislative powers, whose members are elected by universal adult suffrage.
