Friday October 27, 2023
ANGOLA, Luanda Speaker of Parliament of United Republic of Tanzania, Dr Tulia Ackson, has been declared the 31st President of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
Dr Tulia takes over from Mr. Duarte Pacheco, a parliamentarian from Portugal, who concluded his three-year mandate at the end of the 147th IPU Assembly in Luanda, Angola.
Ms. Ackson has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Law from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and a Doctorate from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. She is an advocate of the High Court of Tanzania and a member of the Tanganyika Law Society. Ms. Ackson also taught at the Faculty of Law at the University of Dar es Salaam.
Immediately after being endorsed by the IPU’s Governing Council, Dr Tulia thanked the members for picking her as the new IPU President.
“Thank you for the confidence you have bestowed on me by electing me. I accept this position with humility while recognizing all the responsibilities that it brings. I reaffirm my commitment to work hand in hand with you all to make the IPU the most effective, accountable and transparent organization,” she said.
The parliamentarians voted in a secret ballot. With four candidates on the ballot, the new IPU President was elected with 57% of the vote after a single round of voting.
Hundreds of parliamentarians from 130 IPU Member Parliaments voted in the election. To encourage gender equality, each IPU Member Parliament was entitled to three votes on condition that they have a gender-balanced delegation. Single-sex delegations were entitled to just one vote.