BUJUMBURA March 1st (ABP) – The lower house of the Burundian parliament, solemnly closed on Monday, February 28, 2022, the ordinary parliamentary session of December 2021, a check on the site by ABP has revealed.
In his occasional speech, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Gélase Daniel Ndabirabe, immediately thanked the Lord our God who has not ceased to be the light that enlightens the elected representatives of the people in the realization of the work of the ordinary parliamentary session of December 2021, which focused on legislation, oversight of government action and representation.
At the legislative level, Mr. Ndabirabe pointed out that the deputies analyzed and adopted 11 bills, including the bill on the status of officers of the National Police of Burundi (PNB), the one on the railway transport code in Burundi, the bill on the status of PNB support staff, the bill on the prevention and repression of cybercrime in Burundi and the bill on the amendment of certain provisions of the social protection code in Burundi and the revaluation of pensions for the public sector.
As for the representation and control of government action, the Speaker of the National Assembly specified that the latter held plenary sessions which enabled the people’s elected representatives to closely follow the action of the executive and make recommendations when needed. Thus, the Prime Minister, Alain Guillaume Bunyoni, presented, before the parliament meeting in congress, the report of the analysis of the government’s annual action plan for the 2021-2022 financial year, indicated Mr. Ndabirabe.
In the same vein, the Minister of the Environment, Agriculture and Livestock, Mr. Déo Guide Rurema, was welcomed to the National Assembly to respond to the concerns of the deputies who are members of the Agriculture Committee, livestock, environment, communal development and public works, who had traveled all over the country to see the availability of seeds and selected plants, added Mr. Ndabirabe.
He continued by pointing out that the National Assembly also received the clarifications provided by Minister Rurema and the one having Public Health in his attributions, Mrs. Sylvie Nzeyimana, on the application of the legal texts establishing the Burundian regulation of medicinal products for human use (ABREMA) and that of veterinary products, pesticides and food (ABREVPA), without forgetting the oral questions addressed to the Minister in charge of Public Security, Mr. Gervais Ndirakobuca and the adoption of the report of stage 2021 of the TRC by the parliament meeting in congress and so on.
In addition, the National Assembly congratulated the Head of State, Mr. Evariste Ndayishimiye and his government for the dialogue and diplomatic actions undertaken, both bilaterally and multilaterally, without forgetting the progress made in Burundi. in terms of human rights, good governance and the rule of law, hence the lifting of the sanctions that the Council of the European Union (EU) imposed on March 8, 2016 against Burundi, s rejoiced the President of the National Assembly while emphasizing that the latter joins the Head of State in expressing its sincere gratitude to all the stakeholders in the political dialogue initiated since February 2, 2021 between Burundi and the EU, which led to this repeal.
On the other hand, castigating the behavior of certain Burundians residing in Brussels (Belgium), who demonstrated against the lifting of the sanctions that the EU had imposed in 2016 against Burundi, the National Assembly urges them to change their mentality and to take as an example Burundians returning home and contributing to the development of their homeland.
Given that the year 2022 was dedicated to agriculture, the National Assembly finally encourages the deputies to contribute to the promotion of quality agriculture based on innovation, as desired by the President of the Republic. It also encourages them to make local communities aware of scrupulous respect for barrier measures against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Note that those ceremonies were enhanced by the presence of the President of the Constitutional Court, members of the office of the National Assembly, elected representatives of the people, members of the government, members of the diplomatic and consular corps accredited in Burundi, members defense and security corps, the mayor of the city of Bujumbura and many others.