AU Announces Dates And Process For The AUC Elections 2025

The African Union Commission (AUC) has detailed the procedure for its 2025 elections, announced on January 27, 2025. The elections will unfold in two distinct phases:

First Phase: Scheduled for February 12-13, 2025, where the AU Executive Council, made up of foreign ministers from member states, will elect and appoint the commissioners.

Second Phase: Set for February 15-16, 2025, following the opening ceremony of the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of AU Heads of State, where the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson will be elected.

According to the AUC, the voting process starts with all candidates listed on the ballot. A candidate needs to secure a two-thirds majority to win. If no candidate achieves this after three rounds of voting, the process narrows down to a runoff between the two highest vote-getters.

The AUC elaborated on the voting mechanics:

If after three ballots, no candidate secures the necessary majority, only the two leading candidates will continue, with the candidate having fewer votes being eliminated.

In the case where only one candidate remains but does not achieve the two-thirds majority, the current Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, will suspend the election.

Candidates for the Chairperson position include former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Djibouti’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, and Madagascar’s former Foreign Affairs Minister Richard Randriamandrato.

The race for Deputy Chairperson features six candidates: Salah Francis and Selma Malika from Algeria, Mohamed Ahmed Fathi and Hanan Morsy from Egypt, Najat M. Elhajjaji from Libya, and Latifa Akharbach from Morocco.

This structured approach aims to ensure a transparent and democratic process for electing the leadership of the African Union Commission.