The Chairperson of the African Union is the ceremonial head of the
African Union (AU) elected by the
Assembly of Heads of State and Government for a one-year term.
It rotates among the continent's five
regions
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
.
A candidate must be selected by consensus or at least two-thirds majority vote by
member states. The chairperson is expected to complete the term without interruption; hence countries with impending elections may be ineligible.
Senegal's
Macky Sall
Macky Sall (, wo, Maki Sàll, fuc, 𞤃𞤢𞤳𞤭 𞤅𞤢𞤤, italic=no, Maki Sal; born 11 December 1961) is a Senegalese politician who has been President of Senegal since April 2012. He was re-elected President in the first round voti ...
became the current Chairperson of the African Union on February 5, 2022. The next chairperson will be elected from the East Africa region in early 2023. Both
Kenya
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and
Comoros are vying for the position.
History
In 2002, South African President
Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki KStJ (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who was the second president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Congress (ANC ...
served as the inaugural chairman of the union. The post rotates annually amongst the five
geographic regions of Africa; and over the years it has assumed the following order: East, North, Southern, Central and West Africa.
In January 2007, the assembly elected Ghanaian President
John Kufuor
John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor (born 8 December 1938) is a Ghanaian politician who served as the President of Ghana from 7 January 2001 to 7 January 2009. He was also Chairperson of the African Union from 2007 to 2008.
Kufuor's career has been spe ...
over Sudan's President
Omar al-Bashir due to the ongoing
conflict in Darfur.
Amnesty International said it would undermine African Union's credibility and
Chad threatened to withdraw its membership. Western governments also lobbied against Sudan and suggested
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
as a compromise candidate from the East African region. By consensus, Ghana was elected instead as it was celebrating its 50th independence anniversary that year.
In January 2010, Libyan Leader
Muammar Gaddafi unsuccessfully tried to extend his tenure by an additional year, saying more time was needed in order to implement his vision for a
United States of Africa
The United States of Africa is a hypothetical concept of a federation of some or all of the 54 sovereign states and two disputed states on the continent of Africa. The concept takes its origin from Marcus Garvey's 1924 poem " Hail, United Stat ...
- of which he was a strong proponent. Libya was at the time one of the largest financial supporters of the AU.
Malawi
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeas ...
was chosen instead.
The election of Equatoguinean President
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (; born 5 June 1942) is an Equatoguinean politician and former military officer who has served as the second president of Equatorial Guinea since August 1979. He is the longest-serving president of any country ev ...
in January 2011 was criticized by human rights activists as it undermined the AU's commitment to democracy.
Congolese Republic President
Denis Sassou Nguesso
Denis Sassou Nguesso (born 23 November 1943) is a Congolese politician and former military officer. He became president of the Republic of the Congo in 1997. He served a previous term as president from 1979 to 1992. During his first period as ...
and Zimbabwean President
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe (; ; 21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of the ...
have both led the AU and its predecessor, the
Organisation of African Unity
The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; french: Organisation de l'unité africaine, OUA) was an intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments. One of the main heads for OAU's ...
during the terms 1986–88 and 2006–07, and 1997–98 and 2015–16 respectively.
Role
The incumbent chairs the biannual summit meetings of the assembly and represents the continent in various international fora such as
G7,
TICAD,
FOCAC and
G20
The G20 or Group of Twenty is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union (EU). It works to address major issues related to the global economy, such as international financial stability, climate change mitigatio ...
summits.
They also assist in resolving crises on the continent as an elder statesman. It has been suggested that liaison offices be established to prevent friction between the incumbent and the
Commission Chairperson at the headquarters in
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...
.
Elder Statesman
In 2008, following
Kenya
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's
post-election crisis, AU Chairman Jakaya Kikwete was instrumental in facilitating the opposing sides to agree to a
Government of National Unity
A national unity government, government of national unity (GNU), or national union government is a broad coalition government consisting of all parties (or all major parties) in the legislature, usually formed during a time of war or other nati ...
. Kikwete also backed the
invasion of Anjouan
The invasion of Anjouan (code-named Operation Democracy in Comoros), onMarch 25, 2008, was an Amphibious warfare, amphibious assault led by the Comoros, backed by African Union (AU) forces, including troops from Military of Sudan, Sudan, Milita ...
by sending an AU Force to assist the
Comoros federal government to remove renegade leader
Mohamed Bacar Colonel Mohamed Bacar (born May 5, 1962 in Barakani, Anjouan, then a French colony) is a Comorian former politician who was President of Anjouan, one of the three autonomous islands that make up the Union of the Comoros, from 2001 to 2008. He is ...
.
List of Chairpersons
Bureau
The Chairperson is assisted by a bureau of four vice chairpersons including a rapporteur.
References
External links
Official website
{{African Union chairpersons