D-Day for African Union as it meets to choose AUC leadership
The race for the chairperson has notable candidates-Raila Odinga of Kenya, Mahmoud Ali Yousssouf of Djibouti, and Richard Randriamandrato of Madagascar.
The closely followed process of electing the African Union Commission (AUC) chairperson and vice chairperson will occur today.
The elections will take place at the 38th AUC summit in Addis Ababa; Ethiopia.
The race for the chairperson has notable candidates – Raila Odinga of Kenya, Mahmoud Ali Yousssouf of Djibouti, and Richard Randriamandrato of Madagascar.
The contenders for the deputy chairperson position are Salah Francis (Algeria), Selma Malika (Algeria), Mohamed Fathi (Egypt), Hana Morsy (Egypt), Najat Elhajjaji (Libya), and Latifa Akharbach (Morocco).
The voting process will begin with the election of the chairperson, followed by the election of the deputy chairperson.
Once these positions are filled, the assembly will appoint the commissioners chosen by the AU Executive Council.
The election follows a principle of inter-regional rotation to ensure fair representation of all African regions – Eastern, Northern, Central, Southern, and Western Africa.
For the 2025 elections, Eastern Africa has nominated candidates for chairperson, while Northern Africa has put forward candidates for deputy chairperson.
To promote gender parity, each region must submit both male and female candidates for the deputy chairperson role.
Additionally, the chairperson and deputy chairperson cannot come from the same region, ensuring diverse representation in leadership.
Both the chairperson and deputy chairperson serve a four-year term, which is renewable once.
This year, seven countries will be absent from the vote due to suspension, following a lack of constitutional order.
They include Burkina Faso, Chad, Gabon, Guinea, Mali, Sudan, and Niger.
To secure the chairmanship, a candidate must receive support from at least 33 of the 48 member states participating in the voting.
