Skip to main content

Speaker Tunis caution Member States on Tenure elongation, coups

The Speaker of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Sidie Mohammed Tunis has warned that the community risks being perceived as a body of failed states over rising coups, tenure elongations and undemocratic constitutional amendments. The Speaker said this at his opening address at the high-level parliamentary seminar on 20 years of democratic elections in West Africa in Ghana’s coastal city of Winneba on the theme: Evaluating Two Decades Of Democratic Elections In The ECOWAS Region: Achievements, Challenges And The Way Forward.” Tunis said that while governments in the region condemn coups, it is important that they give serious attention to the new phenomenon of amending the constitution of a state before an election or before the expiration of the tenure of an incumbent President. “Amending a constitution to conform to current realities is not in itself a problem. When the proposed amendments to the constitution protect the governing elite at the expense of citizens or will undermine the very nature of constitutional democracy, thereby granting an incumbent undue advantage to extend his mandate, then we have a problem,” Tunis said. The truth, according to the ECOWAS Speaker, is that this practice is eroding the gains we have made as a community, sinking the region into more chaos, and creating a serious reputational risk tar ECOWAS as an institution. Tunis said “If we do not take firm and very decisive actions against this ugly trend, ECOWAS will not only be perceived as a body of failed States but will indeed fail.” He added hijacking of electoral processes, voters' fraud and disenfranchisement, attack on free speech and the press, as vices that attack a country's electoral system and take away from the core of democracy. “Considering the effect these have caused us and the toil they continue to have on the region, it has become necessary that we go beyond statements that merely condemns these actions and consider imposing harsher penalties on would be perpetrators,” he urged. According to the ECOWAS Speaker, the anticipation is that at the of the seminar, Members of Parliament and all participants would have a better understanding of the dynamics of the electoral process and laws as they impact on democratic practices in the ECOWAS region. He said “the seminar would ensure that they have greater appreciation of the practices that are enhancing and deepening participatory democracy and elections. This will set the seal on recommendations for policy frameworks and corrective ethos based on best practices for future for adaptation for elections and participatory democracy. “The weight of the expectations of the people we serve rests on our shoulders. One of the major ways we can protect the interest of the people is by ensuring that the policies and frameworks that emanate from our decision-making process are people centered. As leaders, we must ensure that the will of the people is not subverted. The choice they make during elections is sacrosanct and must be treated as such.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reject List From Countries In breach Of 30 Percent Women Representation – Njai Tells ECOWAS Parliament

A Gambian representative to the ECOWAS Parliament, Honorable Fatoumatta Njai has challenged the Community Parliament to reject list of countries that are short of thirty percent women’s representation to the Parliament. Speaking in an exclusive interview at the official Opening Ceremony of the Fifth Legislature’s delocalized meeting of the Joint Committee on Social Affairs, Gender and Women Empowerment / Education, Science and Culture/Health, currently holding in Monrovia, Liberia on the theme, “ Empowerment of Women in the ECOWAS Region.” Njai said that some countries lack female representation in the Conference of Bureau, this according to her is disregarding the ECOWAS Rules of Procedure. “The Rules of Procedures mentioned that each member country should have a female representation at the Conference of Bureau. Each country has three members in the Conference of Bureau, so each country can at least have one female member which will be thirty percent representation. I thin...
Post a Comment
Read more
Abuja Bank Robbery: Police Arrest Alleged Mastermind source: Channels The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has arrested the mastermind of the foiled robbery of a first-generation ba nk in the Mpape area of Abuja last Saturday. The suspect, a barman identified as Ernest was nabbed at his hideout by police detectives and is presently being held at the command headquarters by old CBN building, Garki, Abuja. The police had earlier arrested four suspects and gunned down the fourth member of the robbery gang identified as Patrick during the operation. The FCT Commissioner of Police, Bala Ciroma, had on Tuesday paraded the gang members including a bank employee, Larry Ehizo, 30, Timothy Joe, 21, Princewill Obinna, 24 and Elijah David, 19. Ehizo who allegedly drove the gang members to the bank claimed he was blackmailed by Ernest to carry out the heist. Narrating how the failed heist was executed, David said Ehizo informed the gang members that the r...
Post a Comment
Read more
Benin Republic set to review Constitution on terms of Political Office. In a year when many countries on the continent and in West Africa are changing their constitutions to allow for incumbent presidents to run yet again, the Beninese National Assembly has approved a major constitutional reform to discuss the precision on the two terms of office of the President of the Republic among other issues. Detailing the political situation of Benin at the floor of the ECOWAS Parliament, the country report presented contained that the constitutions review was to address the current political situation of the country marking a new Republic following two unsuccessful attempts. The report stated that “Benin Republic has after the April 2019 Legislative elections experienced a tense atmosphere following the frustrating feelings from political group who were unable to participate in the legislative elections, due to the inability to meet the requirement on the law on the constit...
Post a Comment
Read more