The African Union (AU) Assembly has retreated into a closed-door session to cast votes for a new Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) and a Deputy Chairperson. This election marks a pivotal moment in the leadership of the AU, as the region seeks a successor to Moussa Faki Mahamat, whose term is coming to an end.
The voting is taking place in the Nelson Mandela Hall at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, following the conclusion of the opening ceremony of the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government. Media access to the proceedings has been strictly barred, with only heads of state and two accompanying officials—traditionally the Foreign Minister and the Permanent Representative to the AU—allowed into the session.
Among the top contenders for the AUC Chairperson position is former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who is facing stiff competition from Djibouti’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf and Madagascar’s former Foreign Affairs Minister Richard Randriamandrato.
In a last-minute push for support, Kenyan President William Ruto engaged in a series of diplomatic meetings with various heads of state on the sidelines of the summit, lobbying for Odinga’s bid. Ruto met with outgoing chair Moussa Faki Mahamat and also held discussions with presidents Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (Equatorial Guinea), Bassirou Diomaye Faye (Senegal), João Lourenço (Angola), Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley.
The AU chairperson’s election follows a regional rotational system, and this time, the Eastern African region is eligible to present a candidate for the chairmanship. The Northern region will nominate a candidate for the deputy chairperson position. A panel of Eminent Africans, composed of one representative from each of the five AU regions, oversees the pre-selection of candidates.
The election process requires a candidate to secure a two-thirds majority of the votes from AU member states. If no candidate achieves this threshold in the first three rounds of voting, the lowest-scoring candidate is eliminated, and voting continues with the top two contenders. If a conclusive result is not reached, the election may be suspended.
With voting now underway, Africa and the international community await the outcome of this crucial election, which will shape the future direction of the AU and its policies.
