The homestretch: How the AUC chairperson vote will be cast

The electoral process is set to begin on February 12 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where the Executive Council will elect and appoint Commissioners during their session on February 12-13, 2025.

Thereafter, the Assembly of Heads of State and Government will elect and appoint the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson during their session on February 15-16, 2025.

The Chairperson contest will feature three interested contenders among them Kenya's Raila Odinga, Djibouti's Mohamoud Youssouf and Richard Randriamandrato of Madagascar. 

They will be seeking to succeed Chad's Moussa Faki who will exit after his two-term tenure which started in 2017.

Election procedure

A winner will be declared when a two-thirds majority of Heads of State from the 55 AU member states vote in their favour.

Under the AU rules, voting will be done by secret ballot and shall continue until one of the candidates obtains the two-thirds majority vote. 

The union has announced that elections will be done in three rounds and will be preceded by the election of six commissioners.

The 2017 AUC elections saw Moussa Faki beat Kenya's then-candidate Amina Mohamed after seven rounds of voting.

Citizen TV established that East African Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti and Tanzania failed to vote for Kenya during the stages. 

The commission directs that the Assembly elects the Chairperson and a Deputy Chairperson while the Executive Council elects the commissioners (6), appointed by the Assembly.

All members serve for a four-year term, renewable once.

Roles of AUC chairperson

The occupant of the AUC top seat assumes the Chief Executive Officer, legal representative role of the AU and the Commission’s Chief Accounting Officer. 

The commission dictates that the CEO is bestowed the overall responsibility for the Commission’s administration and finances, promotes and popularizes the AU’s objectives and enhances its performance.

They are also mandated with consulting and coordinating with key stakeholders, appointing and managing Commission staff and acting as a depository for all AU and OAU treaties and legal instruments.

Odinga's prospects

Since August 2024, Mr. Odinga has been on a charm offensive across the continent as he seeks to secure votes from African heads of state. 

President William Ruto, his long-time political nemesis, has been his chief campaigner as he has rallied other leaders to deliver victory for the former premier. 

An analysis of their past diplomatic tours reveals that 19 African heads of state have pledged their support for Odinga.

These include Kenya, Togo, Gambia, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Equatorial Guinea, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Malawi. 

Others include Tanzania, Uganda, Seychelles, Mauritius, Rwanda, Burundi, Algeria, South Sudan and Eritrea.