Two more candidates joined the race for the African Union Commission Chairperson position as submissions for nominations to the post came to a close on Tuesday.
The late entrants from Madagascar and Mauritius will face off with former Prime Minister of Kenya Raila Odinga and Djibouti Foreign Affairs Minister, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf.
The African Union had set Tuesday 6th, 2024, as the deadline for the submission of regional nominations of candidates vying for the 8 senior leadership positions at the AU Commission.
The four candidates are seeking to succeed the outgoing Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, who has served two terms.
In a statement Monday, the Commission indicated that only names of candidates submitted by the region will be considered in the pre-selection process undertaken by the Panel of Eminent Africans.
Similarly the Commission stated that only member states that are not under AU sanctions are allowed to submit candidates.
Interested candidates were advised to submit, to their member states, their curriculum vitae, along with vision statements outlining how they intend to advance transformative agenda of African Union, and to address existing and emerging challenges facing the continent.
The AU Commission elections will take place in February 2025 during the African Union Summit.
