By Staff Reporter
Algeria’s Senator Fateh Boutbig has been elected president of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), securing a strong majority in a vote held in Midrand, South Africa, on Thursday.
Boutbig won 119 of 134 votes cast, with 15 ballots spoiled, during an extraordinary session of the continental legislative body. His election follows his nomination by the North African caucus, where he defeated rivals by 19 votes to four in an internal ballot on Wednesday.
He will serve a three-year term for the 2026–2029 legislative period under the African Union’s regional rotation system.
In his inaugural address, Boutbig emphasised North Africa’s strategic role in continental integration.
“There can no longer be any discussion about Africa without particular attention to North Africa, a true civilisational and strategic bridge between the continent and its Mediterranean and global domains,” he said.
He added that Algeria, under President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, plays a key role in promoting peace, development and African-led solutions to the continent’s challenges.
In a separate vote, Ghanaian lawmaker Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings was elected second deputy president of the PAP.
She secured 131 votes, defeating her closest challenger, who received 51 votes, in a ballot held during the same session in Johannesburg.
Her election marks the first time a female representative from the West African caucus has held the position, which forms part of the PAP Bureau responsible for presiding over parliamentary proceedings.
INSIDE POLITICS
