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Chairperson of the African Union

November 23, 2023

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.[1] It rotates among the continent's five regions.

Chairperson of the
African Union
Incumbent
Azali Assoumani
since 18 February 2023
StyleExcellency
AbbreviationCPAU
Appointerthe Assembly
Term lengthOne year
Constituting instrumentConstitutive Act of the AU (article 6)
PrecursorChairperson of the OAU
Formation9 July 2002
First holderThabo Mbeki
DeputyBureau
Websiteau.int/en/cpau

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.[2]

The current Chairperson is Comorian President Azali Assoumani.[3] Both Algeria and Morocco are vying for the position in 2024.[4]

History edit

Main article: Chairperson of the Organisation of African Unity

In 2002, South African President Thabo Mbeki 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 over Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir due to the ongoing conflict in Darfur.[2][5] 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 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.[6]

 
Gaddafi holding the ceremonial baton after taking over as Chair from Tanzania's Jakaya Kikwete.

In January 2010, Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi unsuccessfully tried to extend his tenure by an additional year,[7] saying more time was needed in order to implement his vision for a United States of Africa - of which he was a strong proponent. Libya was at the time one of the largest financial supporters of the AU. Malawi was chosen instead.[8]

The election of Equatoguinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in January 2011 was criticized by human rights activists as it undermined the AU's commitment to democracy.[9]

Congolese Republic President Denis Sassou Nguesso and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe have both led the AU and its predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity during the terms 1986–88 and 2006–07, and 1997–98 and 2015–16 respectively.[10][11]

In 2023, both Kenya and Comoros were vying for the position.[12] Comorian President Azali Assoumani thanked Kenyan President William Ruto for his country's withdrawal.[13]

Role edit

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 summits.[1]

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.[14]

Elder Statesman edit

In 2008, following Kenya's post-election crisis, AU Chairman Jakaya Kikwete was instrumental in facilitating the opposing sides to agree to a Government of National Unity.[15] Kikwete also backed the invasion of Anjouan by sending an AU Force to assist the Comoros federal government to remove renegade leader Mohamed Bacar.

List of Chairpersons edit

No. Portrait Name Term of office Country Region Ref.
Took office Left office
1   Thabo Mbeki 9 July 2002 10 July 2003   South Africa Southern Africa [16]
2   Joaquim Chissano 10 July 2003 11 July 2004   Mozambique Southern Africa [17]
3   Olusegun Obasanjo 11 July 2004 24 January 2006   Nigeria West Africa [18]
4   Denis Sassou Nguesso 24 January 2006 24 January 2007   Republic of Congo Central Africa [19]
5   John Kufuor 30 January 2007 31 January 2008   Ghana West Africa [2]
6   Jakaya Kikwete 31 January 2008 2 February 2009   Tanzania East Africa [20]
7   Muammar Gaddafi 2 February 2009 31 January 2010   Libya North Africa [21]
8   Bingu wa Mutharika 31 January 2010 31 January 2011   Malawi Southern Africa [22]
9   Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 31 January 2011 29 January 2012   Equatorial Guinea Central Africa [23]
10   Yayi Boni 29 January 2012 27 January 2013   Benin West Africa [24]
11   Hailemariam Desalegn 27 January 2013 30 January 2014   Ethiopia East Africa [25]
12   Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz 30 January 2014 30 January 2015   Mauritania North Africa [26]
13   Robert Mugabe 30 January 2015 30 January 2016   Zimbabwe Southern Africa [27]
14   Idriss Déby 30 January 2016 30 January 2017   Chad Central Africa [28]
15   Alpha Condé 30 January 2017 28 January 2018   Guinea West Africa [29]
16   Paul Kagame 28 January 2018 10 February 2019   Rwanda East Africa [30]
17   Abdel Fattah el-Sisi 10 February 2019 10 February 2020   Egypt North Africa [31]
18   Cyril Ramaphosa 10 February 2020 6 February 2021   South Africa Southern Africa [32]
19   Félix Tshisekedi 6 February 2021 5 February 2022   Democratic Republic of Congo Central Africa [33]
20   Macky Sall 5 February 2022 18 February 2023   Senegal West Africa [34]
21   Azali Assoumani 18 February 2023 Incumbent   Comoros East Africa [3]

Bureau edit

The Chairperson is assisted by a bureau of four vice chairpersons including a rapporteur.[13]

Portrait Incumbent Country Region Title
TBA
 North Africa First Vice Chairperson
  Mokgweetsi Masisi   Botswana Southern Africa Second Vice Chairperson
  Évariste Ndayishimiye   Burundi Central Africa Third Vice Chairperson
  Macky Sall   Senegal West Africa Fourth Vice Chairperson (Rapporteur)

References edit

  1. ^ a b "African Union Handbook" (PDF). African Union. 2014. p. 15.
  2. ^ a b c "President Kufuor elected Chairman of AU". ghanaweb.com. Accra: Ghana News Agency. 29 January 2007. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
  3. ^ a b AFP (18 February 2023). "New African Union chair brings controversial record to top post". France 24. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  4. ^ . Africa Intelligence. 19 January 2023. Archived from the original on 25 January 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  5. ^ . Yahoo! Voices. 29 January 2007. Archived from the original on 2014-02-23. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
  6. ^ "Sudan loses AU chair over Darfur". Mail and Guardian. South Africa. 29 January 2007. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
  7. ^ "Gaddafi fails in bid to remain African Union chair". Addis Ababa: Reuters. 31 January 2010. from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
  8. ^ "African Union row over Muammar Gaddafi's role". BBC News. 28 January 2010. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  9. ^ "Equatorial Guinea President Named African Union Head; Rights Groups Object". Bloomberg News. 30 January 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  10. ^ "President voted AU deputy chair". The Herald. Zimbabwe. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  11. ^ . radiovop.com. 31 January 2014. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  12. ^ . Africa Intelligence. Indigo Publications. 11 February 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-08-09. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  13. ^ a b "PRESS RELEASE: President Azali Assoumani of the Union of Comoros, Takes Over as the New Chairperson of the African Union (AU) for 2023". African Union. 18 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  14. ^ Blunt, Elizabeth (27 March 2009). "African Union's eventful year with Gaddafi". BBC. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  15. ^ MUFUAYIA ACHERO DAVID (June 2015). "The role of Jakaya Kikwete in the mediation of the Kenyan Post-election conflict, 2008".
  16. ^ Babarinde, Olufemi (April 2007). "The EU as a Model for the African Union: the Limits of Imitation" (PDF). miami.edu.
  17. ^ . ANC Today. 4–10 July 2003. Archived from the original on 9 October 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  18. ^ "Obasanjo Elected AU Chairman". Addis Ababa: Vanguard. 12 July 2004. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
  19. ^ "CONGO: Profile of Denis Sassou-Nguesso, new AU head". Brazzaville: IRIN. 24 January 2006. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
  20. ^ Appel, Michael (2 February 2008). . Pambazuka News. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
  21. ^ "Gaddafi vows to push Africa unity". BBC News. 2 February 2009. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
  22. ^ . AFP. 31 January 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-12-30. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
  23. ^ Hennig, Rainer Chr. (1 February 2011). "New AU leader Obiang calls criticism un-African". Afrol News. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
  24. ^ "President Thomas Yayi Boni elected as Chairperson of the African Union for 2012" (PDF) (Press release). Addis Ababa: Directorate of Information and Communication, African Union Commission. 29 January 2012.
  25. ^ Stainburn, Samantha (28 January 2013). "Hailemariam Desalegn, Ethiopia's PM, is new African Union Assembly chairman". GlobalPost. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  26. ^ . Addis Ababa: African Union. 30 January 2014. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  27. ^ . Reuters. 30 January 2015. Archived from the original on 30 January 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  28. ^ African Union [@_AfricanUnion] (30 January 2016). "Prez Idriss Itno Déby of #Chad takes over as #AU Chairperson" (Tweet). Retrieved 30 January 2016 – via Twitter.
  29. ^ "President Alpha Conde of Guinea Has Been Elected New Chairperson of the African Union (AU)". African Union. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  30. ^ "President Paul Kagame, Elected as New Chairperson of the African Union for the year 2018". African Union. 28 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  31. ^ "The 32ND African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government Summit Kicks Off". African Union. 10 February 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  32. ^ Simon (February 10, 2020). "South African President Cyril Ramaphosa elected African Union Chairperson as continent vows to "silence the guns," boost trade and close gender gap". Today News Africa. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  33. ^ "President Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo Elected Chair Of The AU For The Year 2021". African Union. 22 February 2021.
  34. ^ "PRESS RELEASES President Macky Sall of Senegal, Takes Over as the New Chairperson of the African Union (AU) for 2022". African Union. February 5, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2022.

External links edit

  • Official website

November 23, 2023
chairperson, african, union, ceremonial, head, african, union, elected, assembly, heads, state, government, year, term, rotates, among, continent, five, regions, flag, african, unionincumbentazali, assoumanisince, february, 2023styleexcellencyabbreviationcpaua. 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 1 It rotates among the continent s five regions Chairperson of the African UnionFlag of the African UnionIncumbentAzali Assoumanisince 18 February 2023StyleExcellencyAbbreviationCPAUAppointerthe AssemblyTerm lengthOne yearConstituting instrumentConstitutive Act of the AU article 6 PrecursorChairperson of the OAUFormation9 July 2002First holderThabo MbekiDeputyBureauWebsiteau wbr int wbr en wbr cpauA 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 2 The current Chairperson is Comorian President Azali Assoumani 3 Both Algeria and Morocco are vying for the position in 2024 4 Contents 1 History 2 Role 2 1 Elder Statesman 3 List of Chairpersons 3 1 Bureau 4 References 5 External linksHistory editMain article Chairperson of the Organisation of African Unity In 2002 South African President Thabo Mbeki 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 over Sudan s President Omar al Bashir due to the ongoing conflict in Darfur 2 5 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 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 6 nbsp Gaddafi holding the ceremonial baton after taking over as Chair from Tanzania s Jakaya Kikwete In January 2010 Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi unsuccessfully tried to extend his tenure by an additional year 7 saying more time was needed in order to implement his vision for a United States of Africa of which he was a strong proponent Libya was at the time one of the largest financial supporters of the AU Malawi was chosen instead 8 The election of Equatoguinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in January 2011 was criticized by human rights activists as it undermined the AU s commitment to democracy 9 Congolese Republic President Denis Sassou Nguesso and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe have both led the AU and its predecessor the Organisation of African Unity during the terms 1986 88 and 2006 07 and 1997 98 and 2015 16 respectively 10 11 In 2023 both Kenya and Comoros were vying for the position 12 Comorian President Azali Assoumani thanked Kenyan President William Ruto for his country s withdrawal 13 Role editThe incumbent chairs the biannual summit meetings of the assembly and represents the continent in various international fora such as G7 TICAD FOCAC and G20 summits 1 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 14 Elder Statesman edit In 2008 following Kenya s post election crisis AU Chairman Jakaya Kikwete was instrumental in facilitating the opposing sides to agree to a Government of National Unity 15 Kikwete also backed the invasion of Anjouan by sending an AU Force to assist the Comoros federal government to remove renegade leader Mohamed Bacar List of Chairpersons editNo Portrait Name Term of office Country Region Ref Took office Left office1 nbsp Thabo Mbeki 9 July 2002 10 July 2003 nbsp South Africa Southern Africa 16 2 nbsp Joaquim Chissano 10 July 2003 11 July 2004 nbsp Mozambique Southern Africa 17 3 nbsp Olusegun Obasanjo 11 July 2004 24 January 2006 nbsp Nigeria West Africa 18 4 nbsp Denis Sassou Nguesso 24 January 2006 24 January 2007 nbsp Republic of Congo Central Africa 19 5 nbsp John Kufuor 30 January 2007 31 January 2008 nbsp Ghana West Africa 2 6 nbsp Jakaya Kikwete 31 January 2008 2 February 2009 nbsp Tanzania East Africa 20 7 nbsp Muammar Gaddafi 2 February 2009 31 January 2010 nbsp Libya North Africa 21 8 nbsp Bingu wa Mutharika 31 January 2010 31 January 2011 nbsp Malawi Southern Africa 22 9 nbsp Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 31 January 2011 29 January 2012 nbsp Equatorial Guinea Central Africa 23 10 nbsp Yayi Boni 29 January 2012 27 January 2013 nbsp Benin West Africa 24 11 nbsp Hailemariam Desalegn 27 January 2013 30 January 2014 nbsp Ethiopia East Africa 25 12 nbsp Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz 30 January 2014 30 January 2015 nbsp Mauritania North Africa 26 13 nbsp Robert Mugabe 30 January 2015 30 January 2016 nbsp Zimbabwe Southern Africa 27 14 nbsp Idriss Deby 30 January 2016 30 January 2017 nbsp Chad Central Africa 28 15 nbsp Alpha Conde 30 January 2017 28 January 2018 nbsp Guinea West Africa 29 16 nbsp Paul Kagame 28 January 2018 10 February 2019 nbsp Rwanda East Africa 30 17 nbsp Abdel Fattah el Sisi 10 February 2019 10 February 2020 nbsp Egypt North Africa 31 18 nbsp Cyril Ramaphosa 10 February 2020 6 February 2021 nbsp South Africa Southern Africa 32 19 nbsp Felix Tshisekedi 6 February 2021 5 February 2022 nbsp Democratic Republic of Congo Central Africa 33 20 nbsp Macky Sall 5 February 2022 18 February 2023 nbsp Senegal West Africa 34 21 nbsp Azali Assoumani 18 February 2023 Incumbent nbsp Comoros East Africa 3 Bureau edit The Chairperson is assisted by a bureau of four vice chairpersons including a rapporteur 13 Portrait Incumbent Country Region TitleTBA North Africa First Vice Chairperson nbsp Mokgweetsi Masisi nbsp Botswana Southern Africa Second Vice Chairperson nbsp Evariste Ndayishimiye nbsp Burundi Central Africa Third Vice Chairperson nbsp Macky Sall nbsp Senegal West Africa Fourth Vice Chairperson Rapporteur References edit a b African Union Handbook PDF African Union 2014 p 15 a b c President Kufuor elected Chairman of AU ghanaweb com Accra Ghana News Agency 29 January 2007 Retrieved 2014 01 31 a b AFP 18 February 2023 New African Union chair brings controversial record to top post France 24 Retrieved 18 February 2023 Algiers and Rabat battle for 2024 African Union presidency Africa Intelligence 19 January 2023 Archived from the original on 25 January 2023 Retrieved 19 February 2023 African Union Chooses Kufuor Over Bashir for Chairman Yahoo Voices 29 January 2007 Archived from the original on 2014 02 23 Retrieved 2014 01 31 Sudan loses AU chair over Darfur Mail and Guardian South Africa 29 January 2007 Retrieved 2014 01 31 Gaddafi fails in bid to remain African Union chair Addis Ababa Reuters 31 January 2010 Archived from the original on 2014 02 02 Retrieved 2014 01 31 African Union row over Muammar Gaddafi s role BBC News 28 January 2010 Retrieved 31 January 2014 Equatorial Guinea President Named African Union Head Rights Groups Object Bloomberg News 30 January 2011 Retrieved 31 January 2014 President voted AU deputy chair The Herald Zimbabwe 31 January 2014 Retrieved 1 February 2014 Mugabe Scores A Feat Set To Head AU at 91 radiovop com 31 January 2014 Archived from the original on 3 February 2014 Retrieved 1 February 2014 Kenyatta and Azali vie for AU vice chairmanship Africa Intelligence Indigo Publications 11 February 2022 Archived from the original on 2022 08 09 Retrieved 30 November 2022 a b PRESS RELEASE President Azali Assoumani of the Union of Comoros Takes Over as the New Chairperson of the African Union AU for 2023 African Union 18 February 2023 Retrieved 19 February 2023 Blunt Elizabeth 27 March 2009 African Union s eventful year with Gaddafi BBC Retrieved 2 January 2022 MUFUAYIA ACHERO DAVID June 2015 The role of Jakaya Kikwete in the mediation of the Kenyan Post election conflict 2008 Babarinde Olufemi April 2007 The EU as a Model for the African Union the Limits of Imitation PDF miami edu High hopes for AU Maputo Assembly ANC Today 4 10 July 2003 Archived from the original on 9 October 2013 Retrieved 30 January 2014 Obasanjo Elected AU Chairman Addis Ababa Vanguard 12 July 2004 Retrieved 2014 01 31 CONGO Profile of Denis Sassou Nguesso new AU head Brazzaville IRIN 24 January 2006 Retrieved 2014 01 31 Appel Michael 2 February 2008 Kikwete takes over AU Chair Pambazuka News Archived from the original on 1 February 2014 Retrieved 2014 01 31 Gaddafi vows to push Africa unity BBC News 2 February 2009 Retrieved 2014 01 31 Malawi president takes over as AU president AFP 31 January 2010 Archived from the original on 2011 12 30 Retrieved 2014 01 31 Hennig Rainer Chr 1 February 2011 New AU leader Obiang calls criticism un African Afrol News Retrieved 2014 01 31 President Thomas Yayi Boni elected as Chairperson of the African Union for 2012 PDF Press release Addis Ababa Directorate of Information and Communication African Union Commission 29 January 2012 Stainburn Samantha 28 January 2013 Hailemariam Desalegn Ethiopia s PM is new African Union Assembly chairman GlobalPost Retrieved 31 January 2014 President Abdel Aziz of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania elected African Union Chairperson Addis Ababa African Union 30 January 2014 Archived from the original on 21 October 2018 Retrieved 21 October 2018 Zimbabwe s Mugabe 90 becomes African Union chairman Reuters 30 January 2015 Archived from the original on 30 January 2015 Retrieved 30 January 2015 African Union AfricanUnion 30 January 2016 Prez Idriss Itno Deby of Chad takes over as AU Chairperson Tweet Retrieved 30 January 2016 via Twitter President Alpha Conde of Guinea Has Been Elected New Chairperson of the African Union AU African Union 30 January 2017 Retrieved 31 January 2017 President Paul Kagame Elected as New Chairperson of the African Union for the year 2018 African Union 28 January 2018 Retrieved 29 January 2018 The 32ND African Union AU Heads of State and Government Summit Kicks Off African Union 10 February 2019 Retrieved 10 February 2019 Simon February 10 2020 South African President Cyril Ramaphosa elected African Union Chairperson as continent vows to silence the guns boost trade and close gender gap Today News Africa Retrieved February 10 2020 President Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo Elected Chair Of The AU For The Year 2021 African Union 22 February 2021 PRESS RELEASES President Macky Sall of Senegal Takes Over as the New Chairperson of the African Union AU for 2022 African Union February 5 2022 Retrieved February 5 2022 nbsp Africa portalExternal links editOfficial website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Chairperson of the African Union amp oldid 1171456797, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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