ECOWAS parliament inaugurated

The 120-member ECOWAS parliament ends its two-day inauguration on Thursday in Bamako, capital of Mali. The session was convened by the community chairman, President Alpha Konare of Mali, in line with the protocol that established the parliament on 14 March. Members will be elected by direct suffrage to serve five years, the life of each parliament that sits in ordinary and extra-ordinary sessions. However, pending the elections of its members, national assemblies of each ECOWAS state will elect members from among themselves during a transitional period. Parliament is required to meet at least twice a year with ordinary sessions lasting a maximum of three months. Extra-ordinary sessions can be held at the request of the ECOWAS chairman or a written request by an absolute majority of parliament. The body is to promote “integration and provide a forum for dialogue, consultation and consensus,” ECOWAS said. “It deals mostly with issues concerning human rights and fundamental freedoms.”