10.
A vacancy in the Office of the President or Vice-President shall be filled at the sitting of
the Pan-African Parliament immediately following its occurrence.
11.
The quorum for a meeting of the Pan-African Parliament shall be constituted by a
simple majority.
12.
Each Pan-African Parliamentarian shall have one vote. Decisions shall be made by
consensus or, failing which, by a two-thirds majority of all the Members present and
voting. However, procedural matters, including the question of whether a matter is
one of the procedure or not, shall be decided by a simple majority of those present and
voting, unless otherwise stipulated in the Rules of Procedure. In the event of an equal
number of votes, the person presiding shall have a casting vote.
13.
The Pan-African Parliament may establish such committees, as it deems fit, for the
proper discharge of its functions and in accordance with its Rules of Procedure.
14.
Until the Pan-African Parliament appoints its staff, the General Secretariat of the OAU
shall act as its Secretariat.
Article 13
Oath of Office
At its first sitting, after the election and before proceeding with any other matter, the
Pan-African Parliamentarians shall take an oath or make a solemn declaration which shall be
set out as an Addendum to this Protocol.
Article 14
Sessions
1.
The inaugural session shall be presided over by the Chairperson of the OAU/AEC
until the election of the President of the Pan-African Parliament who shall thereafter
preside.
2.
The Pan-African Parliament shall meet in ordinary session at least twice a year, within
a period to be determined in the Rules of Procedure. Each ordinary session may last
up to one month.
3.
Two-thirds of the Pan-African Parliamentarians, the Assembly or the Council, through
the Chairperson of the OAU, may, by written notification addressed to the President,
request an Extraordinary session. The request shall provide a motivation for and
details of the matters to be discussed at the proposed Extraordinary session. The
President shall convene such a session which shall discuss only the matters stipulated in
the request. The session shall end upon exhaustion of the agenda.
4.
The proceedings of the Pan-African Parliament shall be open to the public, unless
otherwise directed by the Bureau.
Article 15
Budget