EAC member states flags. After the committee of experts drafts the
regional constitution, a Bill will be submitted to the Heads of State
Summit for approval. PHOTO | URUGWIRO
At least two constitutional experts and a legislative
draftsperson nominated by each of the East African Community member
states were expected at the consultation meeting on drafting the EAC
political confederation constitution that kicked off in Ngozi province
in Burundi last week.
After the committee of experts
drafts the regional constitution, a Bill will be submitted to the Heads
of State Summit for approval.
According to the
chairperson of the committee, Benjamin Odoki, a draft constitution is
expected in two years, in time for the proposed implementation of the
confederation model by 2023.
The Political
Federation—the pinnacle of the EAC Regional Integration—is the fourth
step after the Customs Union, Common Market and Monetary Union.
If
the constitution is adopted, partner states will begin ceding power to
the confederation. Each partner state’s constitution will then be
subordinate to the federation’s constitution.
Even as
Burundi is hosting the five-day meeting, its sour relations with Rwanda
came to the fore as Kigali did not send a representative, prompting
President Pierre Nkurunziza’s deputy spokesman Alain Diomede Nzeyimana
to tweet “President Pierre Nkurunziza believes that the idea of a
"Political Federation" will not be easy to realise given the absence of
Rwanda in the consultations.
Commenting on Kigali’s absence, Rwanda’s EAC Minister Olivier
Nduhungirehe said it would not hinder the process “since the absence of
Burundi in EAC meeting hosted by Rwanda never impacted the EAC
integration.”
No comments :
Post a Comment