Following the suspension of Mali from ECOWAS, the Regional body’s Parliament has approached the Community Court of Justice of the body for advice on whether members of the National Transitional Council of Mali elected to represent the country in the regional parliament should be sworn in.
In suit no: ECW/CCJ/ADV:OPN/01/21 the Parliament is asking the Court to interpret Articles 18.1 (g) and 18.2 ( a and b) of the Supplementary on the enhancement of the powers of the Parliament which relate to the status of members nominated from the transitional parliaments from Member States.
A panel of three judges of the ECOWAS Court of Justice led by Hon. Justice Edward Amoako Asante will on 31st May 2021 hear the application titled ` Interpretation of Supplementary Act’ and signed by the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hon. Sidie Mohamed Tunis.
The request relate to a letter dated 7th January 2021 from the President of the Conseil National de Transition(CNT) of Mali, which serves as the country’s parliament, forwarding the list of the six members elected at the CNT’s plenary sitting on 5th January 2021 as the country’s representatives to the ECOWAS Parliament.
In the application dated 29th March, 2021 the speaker acknowledged that the CNT is an organ of the transition Government of Mali which has been recognized by the ECOWAS Community, African Union and the International Community.
He further stated that the CNT serves as an interim Parliament that will vote Political, Institutional, Electoral and Administrative reforms leading to the return to Constitutional order as provided for in their Transitional Charter and that in conformity with the Supplementary Act relating to the enhancement of the powers of the ECOWAS Parliament, the new Members have to be sworn in before taking office as members of the ECOWAS Parliament.
He also stated that Article 18(a) of the Supplementary Act states that representatives of ECOWAS Parliament shall be elected by direct universal suffrage by the citizens of Member States.
It is against this background that the Speaker is asking the Court to determine and pronounce whether or not the members of CNT elected at a plenary sitting on January 2021 to represent Mali at the ECOWAS Parliament can be considered as ECOWAS Parliament Members and be sworn in.
Other members of the panel are Hon. Justice Dupe Atoki and Hon. Justice January Costa.
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