A Look Into How African Regions Have Been Divided For Next AU Elections, Chair Goes To East Africa

It is another season to have a new occupant in the Addis Ababa-based headquarters that has played home to Moussa Faki for the better part since 2017 and after his second term, which officially ends in February 2025.

Eastern Africa has been favoured in the upcoming AU general elections as they have been chosen to forward names for chair positions. This comes after an announcement from the AU approving the Eastern region to submit candidates for the fiercely coveted post. 

After the Executive Council Ministerial meeting, a decision was made to rotate top leadership positions of the AU Commission so that each of the five regions would have an equal opportunity to succeed and that if the chair is male, the deputy would be female and vice versa

In addition to Kenya's former premier, Odinga, another Eastern African contender has so far indicated interest in the position.

Fawzia Adam, former minister of foreign affairs of Somalia has been fronted by her government to challenge her counterpart in Kenya come February 2025.

Conversely, the Northern area is expected to nominate individuals for the deputy chairmanship.

Both regions are permitted to present male and female candidates to achieve gender parity in the process. If a man is elected as chairperson, a woman will hold the deputy position, and vice versa.

For six vacant commissioner posts, candidates will come from the Western, Central, and Southern areas.

The senior leadership of the African Union is typically chosen to hold office for a four-year term, renewable for a second and final term, for instance, Faki is on his second and final term, which will see him hand over to the next chair come next year.

The Commission has held five elections since the Organization of African Unity (OAU) changed its name to the African Union (AU) in 2002.

The current fifth commission was elected in 2021 and is scheduled to finish its term in 2025. The first commission functioned from 2003 to 2008.

Before the elections in February 2025, a high-level panel of eminent Africans will supervise the pre-selection evaluation procedure and the shortlisting of candidates and finally see the next chair, deputy and six commissioners elected to further the great work which began in 2003.

Do you see Odinga as the favourite to win this chair role?

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