The 61^st Commonwealth Parliamentary Association General Assembly has appointed Mr Karimullah Akbar Khan of the United Kingdom as Secretary-General of the CPA. Mr Khan replaces the late Dr William Shija of Tanzania who passed away in October, 2014.  Mr Khan has been appointed for a fixed term of four years and takes up his appointment in January, 2016.

The General Assembly also readmitted the Fiji Branch into the CPA. This follows the Republic of Fiji’s readmission to the Commonwealth in 2014 after conducting democratic elections.

The General Assembly further noted the termination of the Norfolk Islands Branch’s  membership to the CPA. The Branch’s membership was terminated because the Norfolk Legislative Assembly had ceased to exist as an institution under the Norfolk Islands Act.

Other business conducted by the General Assembly includes the approval of the 2016 Budget and 2014 Audited Accounts.

The General Assembly also saw Ghana and Sierra-Leone rotate out as Regional Representatives for West Africa and be replaced by Nigeria and Cameroon respectively. Nigeria and Cameroon will rotate out at the 2018 General Assembly.

CPA Executive Committee Elects Rt. Hon Shirley Osborne as Vice-Chairperson

The CPA Executive Committee has elected Rt. Hon. Shirley M Osborne, MLA, Regional Representative for the Caribbean Region and Speaker of the Montserrat Legislative Assembly, as Vice-Chairperson of the Executive Committee. The position of Vice-Chairperson is for a term of one year.