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Zvamaida Murwira Senior Reporter

The way for Council of Chiefs president Fortune Charumbira to land the presidency of the Pan African Parliament is now set to be cleared after the Executive Council of the continental body made it clear that the post must rotate between regions.

The decision by PAP’s Executive Council to restrict nomination of candidates to eligible African regions brings an end to a standoff between countries from Southern African and those from Northern and West Africa who wanted to field a candidate despite the fact that other regions were yet to occupy the post.

The Council has also directed that an investigation be carried out to get to the bottom of the chaos that ensued in June this year when election for the president was aborted.

The elections were aborted after legislators from the Southern region led by Chirumhanzi South MP Cde Barbra Rwodzi and South African MP Julius Malema protested over efforts by legislators from Northern and West Africa to field a candidate despite the fact that they had occupied the post before.

According to a communiqué from PAP Executive Council meeting held recently, the continental body re-affirmed the principle of rotation of all the regions.

The Executive Council directed that elections be held as soon as is possible with African Union Commission Chairperson, Mr Moussa Faki, who was in South Africa on a fact finding mission to resolve the impasse should attend the elections to ensure that the rules and procedures were followed.