Lawmaker Ballot Box Brawl Erupts in African Union Parliament
PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty Images
1 Jun 2021
Scuffles erupted on the floor of the African Union (AU)’s parliament on Monday in Midrand, South Africa, as lawmakers fought each other over a ballot box, with one man aiming a high kick at the head of a female parliamentarian.
The AU — a governing body comprised of 55 member states within the African continent — met on May 31 in Midrand to discuss the postponed election of a new president of the AU’s legislative body. After a female AU member declared a further postponement of the election at Monday’s meeting, the parliament floor erupted in chaos. The same woman who declared the vote’s suspension immediately jumped up from her seat and seized an empty ballot box placed at the floor’s center in anticipation of the presidential vote. Moments later, another female AU member attempted to snatch the box from her colleague, sparking a heated tussle.