Speaker Zungu elected President of 153rd IPU Assembly

ARUSHA, TANZANIA: Members of the Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) have unanimously elected Mussa Zungu, the Speaker of Tanzania’s National Assembly, as President of the 153rd IPU Assembly, currently taking place in Arusha.

At the meeting, presided over by IPU President Dr Tulia Ackson, the Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, brought a motion before the Council proposing Mr Zungu as President of the 153rd IPU Assembly.

The proposal was supported by representatives from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Uganda before Dr Tulia asked members of the Council whether they supported or rejected it. All members supported the proposal.

Following his endorsement, Dr Tulia congratulated Mr Zungu on his election, while Speaker Zungu thanked members of the Council for endorsing him.

The Council also admitted Naoero as a new member of the IPU, bringing the Union’s membership to 184 parliaments.

Prior to its admission, IPU President Dr Tulia said Naoero was the smallest island nation with a strong voice on many international issues.

“…and no doubt, its membership will strengthen the small island developing states community at the IPU,” she said.

Thanking the Council for admitting his country, Speaker of the Parliament of Naoero, Marcus Stephen, congratulated IPU President Dr Tulia for her service and success during her tenure as the Union’s top leader.

On joining the IPU, he said Naoero’s admission carried special significance for all legislatures around the world, insisting that his country was neither a new democracy nor a new country, but had been an independent nation since 1968.

“In fact, it is the second country in the Pacific region to gain independence. In 2020, our Parliament became the first specific country in our region to approve the Parliamentary Services Bill, where we now have full financial autonomy under this Act,” the Nauru Speaker said.

He reminded participants that in May this year, Nauru’s leaders decided to go back to their roots and change the name of their country to Naoero.

“It is done to respect, remember and recognise our past traditional name, which is closely attached to our culture. Nevertheless, Nauru will always remain part of our history. Nauru is now our name. Naoero is what we will be called.

“Naoero is one of the smallest republics in the world. Yet we have been an active participant in global and international forums for many years,” he concluded.

The 153rd IPU Assembly is taking place in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania, with all the Union’s statutory bodies, including the Governing Council, Standing Committees, Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians and Committee on Middle East Questions, as well as the Forum of Women Parliamentarians and the Forum of Young Parliamentarians, meeting on this occasion.

The Governing Council will be invited to elect a new IPU President at its session in Arusha on Friday.