Rabat: The Upper House Speaker, Mohamed Ould Errachid, was elected on Thursday in Rabat as President of the Association of African Senates. This announcement was made in a final statement issued at the close of the conference of the Association of African Senates, hosted by the House of Councillors on April 8 and 9 with the participation of presidents and representatives of African upper parliamentary chambers.

According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, the speakers of upper houses and heads of delegations agreed to adopt proposed amendments to the Association’s statutes. Notably, they agreed on the possibility of admitting, by decision of the conference, any other upper house of an African state that is a member of the United Nations as a full member or observer. They also set the term of the Association’s president at two years and appointed the first female president of the Association as honorary president.

It was also decided to adopt the proposal to entrust the duties of Secretary General of the Association to the Secretary General of the upper house of the state hosting the Association. Additionally, the Treasurer will be appointed by the Conference upon proposal of the President. The Association will hold two types of meetings: an annual meeting in the country holding the rotating presidency and a Conference of Presidents every two years.

The statement states that these measures will enter into force immediately, adding that it was decided to hold the next annual meeting in Rabat, Morocco, in 2027. The Association of African Senates was established following a seminar organized by the Senate of C´te d’Ivoire on October 10 and 11, 2024, in Yamoussoukro. Its first presidency was entrusted to the President of the Senate of the Republic of C´te d’Ivoire, Kandia Kamissoko Camara.