With a few months left to the 2025 election for the AU Commission chairmanship, it seems the race has whittled down to only an all-male shortlist.
Contesting for the position is former Prime Minister of Kenya Raila Odinga, Djibouti Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssou, former Mauritius Foreign Minister Anil Kumarsingh Gayan, and Richard James Randriamandrato, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Madagascar.
Now, a panel of experts which includes Burundian academic Paul Ngarambe, Ethiopian diplomat Konjit SineGiorgis, Ghanaian Patrick Hayford, and South African Nozipho Joyce Mxakato-Diseko, will vet the contestability of the contestants for suitability for the job.
They will interview the candidates, listen to their visions for Africa, and check if their qualifications adhere to the requirement that each has at least a post-graduate qualification.
Under the new rotational system, Chairperson is reserved for Eastern Africa, and the Deputy Chairperson will come from Northern Africa.
Again, the Chairperson and his Deputy must not be of the same gender. As no woman is contesting the Chairperson position, the next Deputy Chairperson will be a woman from Northern Africa.
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The candidates will then take part in a public televised debate, followed by voting through a secret ballot by AU member states in February 2025, after vetting.
In order to achieve an absolute majority and win, the candidate shall secure at least two-thirds of the votes in the Assembly of Heads of State and Government.
If he does not succeed in attaining this type of majority, voting will continue until one gets a simple majority.
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