A conflict is brewing in South Africa between North African countries over the election of the president of the African Parliament.

Written by Mohamed Salem

All eyes are on the city of Midrand in the south AfricaThe Pan-African Parliament (PAP) will hold an extraordinary session between April 28 and 30, 2026, to elect a new president and bureau to lead the institution for the next three years, in an election that reflects the delicate balances within the African Union, with the presidency moving to the North African region according to the principle of rotation among the five regions of the continent.

At the heart of this race are four names representing the political weight of the region: Engineer Sharif Al-Jabali from EgyptThe head of the African Affairs Committee in the Egyptian House of Representatives and a prominent figure in economic cooperation files; Fatih Boutabik from Algeria, one of the active figures within the African Parliament; Lahcen Haddad from Morocco, the former minister who held the tourism portfolio between 2013 and 2016 before continuing his presence in parliamentary and diplomatic work; and Youssef Al-Fakhri from Libya, who is officially supported by the Libyan House of Representatives, in the context of his country’s efforts to regain its position within continental institutions.

Despite the number of candidates, parliamentary rules limit the impact of open competition, as the North African region is required to present only one candidate to the plenary session. This matter is decided within the regional "Cox" (Council of Experts), where intensive consultations take place, or an internal vote is held if consensus cannot be reached. This makes the decision-making process, rather than the voting chamber, the true arena for the process.

This mechanism echoes what happened in the 2024 elections, when the Southern Province failed to agree on a single candidate and resorted to an internal vote between candidates from Zimbabwe and Zambia. This resulted in the selection of the Zimbabwean candidate, who was subsequently presented as the sole candidate and elected without any real competition. This model reflects a stable pattern, where the plenary session becomes a mere formality for ratifying a result predetermined within the province.

Election of the new president of the African Parliament

The new president will succeed Fortune Charombera, who led the parliament as a representative of the Southern Region until February 2026, at a pivotal stage in which the parliament seeks to consolidate its position within the federal system and strengthen its political presence.

The Pan-African Parliament comprises members chosen from national parliaments, with five representatives from each country. Each delegation is required to include at least one woman, ensuring female representation, although this does not extend to leadership positions. All presidential candidates are already members of their respective national parliaments, having met the legal requirements and taken the oath of office.

The Bureau of the Pan-African Parliament consists of a president and four vice presidents representing the five regions, with the region that wins the presidency being excluded from the position of vice president in the same session. The four vice presidents are chosen through agreements within their regions or through an internal vote, before being approved in the plenary session.

Alongside regional blocs, the “Women’s Caucus” stands out as a group of female MPs working to enhance women’s presence and push for expanding their representation in decision-making positions. However, its influence remains more political than legal, as it does not have the authority to impose candidates or determine election results.

Current indicators do not suggest an organized trend within the northern region to put forward a female candidate for the presidency, and the electoral process is not subject to any principle that requires alternation between a man and a woman in the position of president or his deputies, as happens in the elections of the president of the African Union Commission, his deputy and six commissioners, as the governing criteria in the elections of the African Parliament remain based on regional balances and political agreements.

The Pan-African Parliament was established in 2004 as one of the organs of the African Union. Its aim is to represent the peoples of the continent and promote political and economic integration. The Parliament holds two ordinary sessions annually, in addition to extraordinary sessions when needed. Its permanent headquarters are located in Midrand, South Africa, where the official voting process also takes place. Despite being established for over two decades, the Parliament's powers remain advisory and oversight-oriented, pending the activation of the Malabo Protocol, which aims to grant it full legislative authority. This process faces challenges related to the slow pace of ratification by member states, as well as the sensitivity surrounding the transfer of certain sovereign powers from national parliaments to the Pan-African Parliament at the continental level.

Elections for the presidency of the African Parliament

In this context, the election for the presidency of the Pan-African Parliament appears to be more than just a procedural formality; it is a test of the North African region's ability to forge a political consensus that reflects its internal power dynamics. As Midrand prepares to host the vote, the question remains: will the race be decided by a swift agreement among North African states, or will conflicting interests necessitate an internal round of voting that redraws the map of influence within the region? The vote in Midrand, however, remains merely a formality, its outcome already being shaped behind the scenes before being officially confirmed in the Pan-African Parliament's inaugural session.