EAC states back Tulia’s IPU presidential quest

Arusha. The East African Community (EAC) member states have resolved to rally behind Dr Tulia Ackson in her campaign for the presidency of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

Speakers from the seven partner states meeting in Arusha on Friday said Dr Ackson’s victory would be a win for the region.

“Our priority is to get our East Africans to win the job,” Joseph Ntakarutimana, the Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) told a meeting of the EAC Speakers’ Bureau taking place here.

Dr Ackson, who is the Speaker of the National Assembly, has been fronted by Tanzania to contest the IPU presidency post. Elections for the new president of the international organization of national parliaments will take place in Angola in October this year.

The government said it was strongly backing her for the contest given her unmatched qualifications, experience, and commitment to democracy.

The IPU is a body made up of 179 parliaments as its members out of 193 legislative bodies globally.

It is currently led by a Portuguese national, Mr Duarte Pacheco, and expects to select its new leader during the 147th assembly to be held from October 23rd to October 27th in Luanda, Angola.

IPU is a key international organ that facilitates parliamentary diplomacy and empowers parliaments and parliamentarians in the promotion of peace and democracy.

If elected, Dr Ackson will lead the organization from 2023 to 2026 and will be the first woman from Africa to hold that prestigious position.

She will also be the first-ever president hailing from the Eastern Africa sub-region, hence the great push now from the region to have her elected.

Dr Ackson herself took her campaign to the EAC corridors on Friday when she appealed for support for her candidacy.

She requested support in the contest, pledging to put the interests of the region and Africa as a whole first if duly elected as IPU President.

Dr Ackson, who was elected to the position of National Assembly Speaker early last year, is currently the Chair of the Africa geo-political group of the IPU. “We will support Dr Tulia. But we need to intensify our campaign as East Africans and Africans to reach out to the world”, affirmed Ms Anita Annet Among, the Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament.

She added that Uganda had already decided to support the Tanzania National Assembly Speaker for the IPU position and expected other EAC members to do the same.

Ms Jemma Nunukumba, the Speaker of the South Sudan Parliament, said the decision to unanimously rally behind Dr Ackson was a foregone conclusion given her abilities.

“She is a competent candidate for the position. Let us use our diplomatic connections to support her,” she pointed out.

Some of the tasks ahead of the IPU presidential aspirant include turning it into a more effective, transparent, and accountable body by reviewing its statutes, processes, and operations.

Others include spearheading constructive reforms in the IPU that would make the organization more effective in promoting peaceful coexistence and global prosperity.

She would also seek to ensure that the geopolitical groups have a greater say and representation in the various organs of the organization,” she said.

She is determined to use the IPU platform to advocate for increased women representation in parliament, which currently stands at a mere 22 percent, globally.

The 47 year old Dr Ackson has been in politics since 2015 when she was elected as deputy Speaker of the National Assembly after that year's polls.

She was re-elected to the position in November 2020 and then succeeded Job Ndugai as Speaker in February 2022 after the latter resigned.

Before throwing her cards into politics, she worked as a senior lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) (2004-2015), and had a short stint as deputy Attorney General in 2015.