EALA adjourned indefinitely

Paralysis in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) has forced the House Speaker to suspend all EALA business due to the lack of quorum. Embattled House Speaker, Margret Natongo Zziwa made this ruling in a short-lived session this morning in the Senate Chambers, Parliamentary Buildings, Kimihurura. This move is a result of a decision by the majority of Tanzanian House Members to boycott today’s sitting. Only two Tanzanian representatives were present, while all the other member countries had at least eight representatives present. The EALA rules of procedure provide that the quorum of the House shall consist of half of the elected Members provided that such quorum shall be composed of at least three of the elected nine Members from each Partner State. Their move was interpreted as an attempt to save Tanzanian member, Shy Rose Bhanji’s blushes following moves by other members to censure her, citing her alleged misconduct while on an EU Benchmarking trip to Brussels, early this month. Yesterday, as members were readying themselves to vote by way of secret ballot after a three-hour debate, Ugandan MP Susan Nakawuki brought it to the attention of the Speaker that though the members in the Assembly were more than the required three quarters of the Assembly, Tanzania did not have a representation of more than three members as required by the rules of procedure. Since tomorrow is the last day of the Assembly’s sitting in Kigali, it would mean that the House did not conduct any official business during their two week stay.

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EALA adjourned indefinitely