AU to Hold First-ever Debate

November 24, 2016

CAPE TOWN. – The African Union Commission is reportedly set to hold its first-ever debate for the five candidates seeking to head the continental body and take over from the current chair Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.According to BBC Live, an invitation from the commission stated that all the candidates who had expressed interest in contesting would take part in a “town hall-style” debate on December 9 at the AU’s headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The elections are due in January 2017.

“It is our sincere belief that this debate will help in the transformation of our union and Africa, as often elections of the union leadership occur behind closed doors, thus denying the broad African public an opportunity to be informed and participate in the work of the commission,” the commission was quoted as saying.

African heads of state failed to elect a new head of the commission in July after they were unable to agree on a successor to lead the executive branch of the continental body during its 27th summit in Kigali, Rwanda.

None of the three candidates at the time was able to muster the two-thirds majority required to win the secret ballot.

Five contenders have shown interest in next year’s elections, and they are:

Penelope Venson – Botswana’s current foreign minister

Moussa Faki Mahamat – Chad’s current foreign minister

Agapito Mba Mokuy – Equatorial Guinea’s current foreign minister

Amina Mohamed – Kenya’s current foreign minister

Bathily Abdoulaye – Senegal’s current special UN envoy for Central Africa. - News24/HR.