Tulia Ackson, the speaker of Tanzania’s National Assembly, was elected on Friday, October 27 2023, to serve as the 31st president of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), an international association of national parliaments.
Ackson received 172 votes out of 303 cast by delegates to the 147th IPU Assembly, which was held in the capital city of Luanda, Angola, according to a statement from the National Assembly.
According to the announcement, Duarte Pacheco, a Portuguese lawmaker, completed his three-year term and gave way to Ackson.
In her acceptance speech, she said, “I have been overjoyed to be elected president of IPU. My election has also brought much respect to my country, Tanzania,”
She stated that her next goal is to make sure IPU takes the lead in promoting world peace and harmony.
As the world’s first multilateral political organization, IPU was established 130 years ago with the goal of promoting international cooperation and communication. Prominent lawmakers from Spain, India, Chile, Italy, Namibia, Morocco, Bangladesh, Mexico, Portugal, and now the United Republic of Tanzania have held the IPU president over the previous 25 years.
Ref: Xinhua
