The race for the African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson is heating up, with the election set to happen during the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government, which will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on February 15 and 16.
With less than 10 days to go, the highly anticipated vote has thrown candidates into a last-minute frenzy, each striving to leave a lasting impression.
The AUC Chairperson contest pits Kenya’s former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, against, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the Foreign Affairs Minister for Djibouti, and Richard Randriamandrato of Madagascar.
This election will decide who will take over from Moussa Faki Mahamat, whose second and final four-year term ends soon.
The successful candidate will hold a significant position in overseeing the operations of the pan-African organization.
Fronting Odinga, Kenya is banking on former his experience and vision to steer Africa’s agenda in a transformative direction.
To be elected as the AUC chairperson, Odinga must secure at least two-thirds of the votes from the Assembly of Heads of State and Government made up of 49 members which will elect and appoint the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson during the 38th AU Summit Session.
In the election for the Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson, and Commissioners, the voting process begins with all the candidates on the ballot. Voting is conducted three times until one of the candidates obtains at least two-thirds majority.
Step by step process of AUC Chairperson voting
Heads of state vote in three rounds and if the third ballot remains inconclusive without any candidate garnering the two-thirds majority, the next ballot is restricted to the two candidates who obtained the highest number of votes and the candidate with fewer votes is withdrawn.
Also Read: Has Raila Rival & Djibouti’s Candidate Dropped Out of AUC Race?
Where there are only two candidates initially and neither candidate obtains the majority required after the third ballot, the candidate with fewer votes is withdrawn and the remaining candidate proceeds to the next round.
If the remaining candidate fails to obtain the two-thirds majority required in that round, the Chairperson is required to suspend the election.
Also, where there is only one candidate initially and he or she fails to obtain the two-thirds majority required after the third ballot, the current Chairperson is required to suspend the election, and the deputy chairperson will assume the chairmanship on an interim basis until new elections are held.
In the event candidates drop from the race before the election and only one is left, he or she will still require two-thirds majority votes.
Raila Odinga ramps up campaigns
Odinga will face Richard Randriamandrato, Madagascar’s former Foreign Minister, and his key opponent Djibouti’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf.
Also Read: Boost for Raila as Another President Endorses Him Weeks Before AUC Elections
The former Prime Minister has so far met several presidents from across Africa’s regions and received endorsements from several leaders with the latest being from Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, and Guinea Bissau President Umaro Embalo.
Last week, Raila intensified his campaign by joining President William Ruto on a state visit to Egypt, where he met President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
The visit came after the former opposition veteran campaigned in Mauritania, Tunisia, and Algeria before meeting East African heads of state during the African Energy Summit held in Arusha.
Odinga had also embarked on campaigns targeting the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries including South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and Mozambique as he ramped up his AUC campaigns.
Should he win, Odinga will become the first Kenyan to chair the African Union Commission.
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